Hana no Satsugai
by Sarudoshi
Summary: after having been taken in by her half-brother, life might've just gotten a bit more hectic for her. dealing with a jackass head of the Roshigumi, blood-sucking Rasetsu, and a cocky-possessive-lecherous lover just might drive her to insanity. but she's a Hijikata, so this should be nothing short of easy... right? SoujiOC, mostly rated for lang and angst. R&R please!
1. Chapter 01

_Hakuouki in its entirety belongs to IDEA Factory/ Yone Kazuki-sensei; Kawa belongs to me._

_** **edit**: title of fic translates to "**Flower of Bloodshed**" in Engl .. fitting name, neh?_

* * *

He looked over the letter a second time, violet eyes narrowed in the furrowed-brow expression he wore on his handsome face.

'_My dearest son, I am writing to you as your humble father. As you read this, you will know already that I have left this world for a place in Paradise. And even so, as I am now gone, I ask that you fulfill one last wish for a dying old man. I never wanted you to know what I am about to entail in this last letter, the one stain on my life that should have remained hidden even after I am in the grave. Many years ago, several years after you were born, a woman I had met prior gave birth to a child, a daughter. Her name is Yasakawa, and she is your half-sister. I know this must come as a shock to you, my son, but please listen: Yasakawa, even though she is born of another woman, she is still your sister… she carries Hijikata blood in her veins. As your father and hers as well, I implore and plead with you to take her in. It is my last wish and she is family regardless. Please, Toshizou, do this last thing for your dying father.._.'

A slow sigh escaped him as he put the letter down on the desk, lifting a hand to rub the bridge of his nose between his closed eyes with two fingers. _For the love of god, why me?_ He wondered, grumbling under his breath.

"Toshi?" Someone knocked on his door, perking his ears.

He opened one eye at the voice, exhaling. "Come in," he replied.

The door slid open to reveal the sight of his half-sister; his father hadn't been telling lies when he said she had Hijikata blood in her veins. The fact that she looked just like him was sort of eerie, he would admit that (never openly, but still).

"What is it, Yasakawa?" He asked patiently, looking up at her gray eyes.

The twenty-year-old girl glanced at the letter on his desk before meeting her brother's violet eyes. "Kondou-san said he and Serizawa-san were going to go over getting funding again; wanted me to let you know." She informed with a shrug.

He nodded and shuffled to his feet with a slight grunt uttered under his breath. "Fine, I'm coming." He briefly paused at seeing she kept her slightly tousled black hair in a high ponytail like he did his own hair, smirking thoughtfully. "I imagine the others are treating you well." He guessed as she followed him out of the room.

She nodded and shrugged again, smiling a little. "Most of them are nice to me, but, well…" She trailed off, looking at his violet eyes with a sheepish expression on her pretty face.

Toshi furrowed his brow briefly before exhaling. "What happened?" He asked cautiously, inwardly slapping his forehead; his father failed to mention that this girl had a hell of a temper.

Kawa's cheeks flared pink before she rubbed the back of her neck. "He started it, talking down to me like I was beneath his sorry feet… You're not mad, are you, nii-san?" She wondered in a hesitant tone, looking away from her brother's eyes.

He made a face and looked her over briefly, noting that there were no scratches or smudges of blood/ dirt on her clothes or her face and arms, quieting. "Not today. Just…" He glanced up as he noticed they were getting closer to that man's room and his lip curled briefly. "Don't get into any trouble around here. Understand?" He looked at her, setting her with a stern scowl he was well-known for amongst the men of their ranks.

Shoulders slumping in relief, she nodded vigorously. "Right! I'll remember that." She promised.

He smiled slightly and lifted a hand to tousle her hair, seeing her blush a little and purse her lips at his gesture. "Good," he nodded, dropping his hand to continue to the room and leave his sister behind in his wake.

Kawa smiled as well before turning tail to retreat to the training hall.

So far it had only been a few months since she had been taken in by her brother; in that amount of time she had made friends among the captains and subordinates of the group her brother was a part of, the Roshigumi. Most of the men she had made friends with were rag-tag samurai, and even though society often despised samurai because they did what they pleased no matter who they hurt, these guys were the opposite. They were nice and friendly and they were the reason she could smile and laugh again.

Being raised an only child for twenty years, she never had siblings or very many friends she could consider family; it was just her mother and herself.

But being among a rag-tag group of men like these ones made her feel as if they were her brothers rather than just her friends.

::::::x|x:::::::

So far she was getting better at using her sword than she had been when she'd first been taken in by her brother; her speed wasn't top-notch just yet, but her endurance, defense and stamina were pretty damn good if she said so herself.

Running a hand through her hair, she sighed quietly as she glanced up at the dying sun in the horizon, the sky colored pink and orange as it was making way for the oncoming moon and her legions upon legions of stars...

"…I was washing my face!" Her ears perked at hearing the exasperation in the stranger's voice, said voice deterring her from her reverie; she lifted a brow and paused in returning to her room.

"I don't see a reason why I gotta be polite to someone like you, runt." The offender of the stranger replied coolly in a cocky voice she knew too well at this point in time; she exhaled and turned to head to the small well their 'landlord' owned, lifting a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose.

For the love of…

"Excuse me!?" The stranger seemed to blanch.

A slight chuckle came from the offender. "What? If it's buggin' you that badly…" He seemed to grin snidely.

**_THWACK_**.

"Didn't your mother teach you not to offend strangers?" She dusted her hands off as said offender now sported a large pink bump on the top of his head that was covered by his hands, turned away from the annoyed and sore curses uttered by the object of her annoyance. "Good grief…"

"Oi, that hurt, Kawa-chan! Shit," the offender, a lanky brunette with jade green eyes, griped as he looked at her sorely.

She huffed and crossed her arms over her ample bust, making a face. "Apparently even Kondou-san didn't teach ya any manners, Souji." She deadpanned.

The said stranger, a boy with berserker blue hair and orange eyes, blinked once or twice as he looked at the girl that apparently had a hell of a sucker-punch; this girl didn't look to be much older than twenty, twenty-one at best. She was only a few years older than him.

Okita Souji pouted at her blank expression, sniffing and rubbing the bump on his head gingerly, leaning against the handy lip of the well. "Well excuse me fer livin'! I didn't mean any harm to the kid, ya know that, Kawa-chan…" He wheedled.

Kawa rolled her eyes patiently, keeping her arms folded. "Sure you didn't, and Serizawa-san is my grandfather…" She remarked sardonically, unconvinced with his defense.

"Sorry, but it's kinda odd to see a girl around here. Do you work in the kitchen or something?" The blue-haired boy asked, quieting their argument, his orange eyes on the black-haired girl.

She blinked once before she chuckled, smiling dryly. "I get that sometimes. But no, I don't work here, not figuratively, anywho. My name's Kawa; Hijikata Yasakawa, but I like being called 'Kawa'. Less stress," she flashed a light smile before the smile fell and she jabbed a thumb over her shoulder at the brunette that was sending a death glare at the blue berserker. "That's Souji, Okita Souji. Please forgive his rash threat; normally he wouldn't try anything, at least not around here." She laughed sheepishly.

The boy nodded and returned the sheepish laugh. "It's alright. My name's Ibuki, Ibuki Ryunosuke." He replied.  
"'Ibuki-kun', then," she mused calmly, seeing him nod.

"It's good to see the pacifying trait in the Hijikata family has not skipped your generation, Yasakawa-kun," a calm voice mused aloud, making the trio look to see a bespectacled brunette coming forward, a kind smile on his face.

"Oi, Sannan-san, what's **that** mean?" Souji pouted, earning a giggle from the only woman present.

Sannan-san smiled patiently at the brunette, "let it drop, Okita-kun. Besides, Hijikata-kun will yell up a storm if you get too rowdy, and in the presence of a lady to top it off." He scolded.

Kawa elbowed her friend with a smirk. "He does have a point," she mused, cheeky about the 'presence of a lady' bit.

"Aww, neither one of ya are any fun, Sannan-san," Souji sniffed, elbowing back before slinging an arm around her shoulders affectionately, to which she blushed slightly and then smiled.

He rolled his eyes at the younger brunette's childish rebuttal, looking to the newcomer. "Regardless, you're the one that Serizawa-san rescued, aren't you; have you recovered from your injuries?" He asked politely.

The bluenette blinked before he nodded slightly. "Yeah, but where's that Serizawa guy anyway?" He returned.

"Serizawa-san is currently out; I believe he'll be returning tonight."

"He's out, huh?"

"What is it you need of Serizawa-san?"

"… I was told to thank him for savin' me before I go."

Both of the boy's age-mates shared a brief look at his explanation before the lankier of the two piped up, "oi, hang on, aren't you gonna thank Kondou-san? He is the one who saved your neck, after all."

He blinked again in confusion. "Who's 'Kondou-san'?" He wondered.

The younger Hijikata shrugged her friend's arm from her shoulders, crossing her own over her ample chest. "Kondou-san is the highest-ranking member of the Roshigumi." _And between him and Serizawa, he's the kinder of the two_, she inwardly added.

"Well put as always, Yasakawa-kun. Come on, I'll introduce you to him." Sannan-san smiled lightly, nodding to the bluenette.

Ibuki returned the nod, seeing the aforementioned girl smile a little at him before he followed the bespectacled man back into the further recesses of the compound.

Souji elbowed the girl. "Oi, oi, what's with that smile? Yer not goin' sweet on the runt, are you?" He wondered, smirking at her.

Even though Kawa was the only woman allowed in the Roshigumi headquarters because she was Hijikata's baby sister as well as said man's charge, that never stopped her from being as much of a thick-skinned tomboy as much as he'd ever met. She was beautiful and he couldn't help but find it highly amusing to make her blush or laugh.

"Don't be so delusional." She huffed, blushing prettily as she rammed her elbow into his left side reproachfully, jarring him from his thoughts, making him blink his green eyes a couple of times.

He rubbed his side gingerly, pouting down at her. "Geez, your elbow-jabs are almost as hellish as your friggin' sucker-punches, Kawa-chan." He grated.

She huffed again and crossed her arms, turning on her heel to retreat inside. "Don't be such a big baby; nii-san told me how legit you were with a sword, so I know somethin' like that wouldn't hurt a big strong idiot like you, Souji." She replied casually over her shoulder.

He clicked his tongue and smirked, trotting after her lead. "Well, I didn't figure Hijikata-san would be such a blabber-mouth…" He mumbled under his breath.

* * *

"You bastard; don't you realize who yer talkin' to!? How dare you talk to me that way!?" The low growl of that man rang out in the dark night.

Every nerve inside her cringed when she heard that tone, the evident slur in his growling voice a sure-enough sign that he had come back as drunk as an alcoholic; her hand gripped the hilt of the sword at her right hip.

"Care to repeat what you just said, Hijikata…? You bastard! What'd you say!?" Serizawa Kamo snarled.

Her knuckles were white when she glanced down at the hard grip she had on the hilt; her gray eyes narrowed before she exhaled sharply and decided to step out.

Hearing that man goad her comrades into annoyance was one thing, but to hear him speak so disrespectfully against her own brother… She clicked her tongue.

"I'll say it as many times as I have to: we're new in Kyoto, so keep your 'playing around' in the Red-Light District within reason. You're not the only ones who have to live here." Hijikata Toshizou repeated patiently, said patience wearing thin with the overgrown prick he stood against.

One of the trio standing behind said man, an ass-kisser named Niimi, bristled. "Hijikata-kun! How dare you speak to Serizawa-sensei like that!?" He barked indignantly.

"Pretty damn sure he has a right to speak that way; old drunken dogs need to be reminded of their place in a pack, y'know." Hijikata Yasakawa answered calmly before her older brother could rebut snappishly, surprising the trio of men at her bold outburst as she came to stand faithfully at her brother's right; the young woman crossed her arms over her chest, gray eyes steely, as they met his beady black eyes.

"You're disturbing the tranquility of night, if I might add." She added dryly, smirking.

"You insolent…" Niimi began to snarl.

"Stay out of this," her brother hissed at her side, his warning falling on deaf ears (as it usually did, half the time).

"Better an old dog than a weak whore." Serizawa thundered, his own beady gray eyes flashing angrily at the sight of such an ungrateful woman. "Keep your mouth shut and learn your place around here, girl." He paused briefly and then laughed blackly. "But then again, what can I expect from a bitch who's the youngest sibling of this bastard Hijikata?" He sneered.

Kawa bristled and spat at his face, her fists shaking slightly at her sides as the spittle landed on the front of his stern face. "You will not speak of my brother like that in my presence, you damned old drunk!" She snarled coldly, her left hand flying to the hilt of her katana.

He lifted a hand to wipe the spit from his face, his teeth clenched as his eyes blazed anger. "Know your place!" He raised his fan-wielding hand to slap her across the face.

_Damn it…!_ He shoved her behind him, right arm extending to block any harm from befalling the younger Hijikata, as the fan descended.

A light '_thwack_' sounded when it hit the front of his forehead, slightly baffling the men behind the offender as well as the girl he was protecting.  
"Nii-san," she murmured softly.

Toshi glared stonily up at Serizawa, violet eyes cold and just-plain-pissed, his glare locked with that of Serizawa Kamo's. "I don't care if you're from the Mito Tenguto; if you're going to throw your status as a samurai in our faces as well as insult my sister in my presence, don't do anything to give us **too** much reason to complain." He growled.

"Bastard!" He bristled, grinding his teeth together. "Why didn't you dodge? Did you assume that I was gonna stop? Or that I would slap the teeth out of that whorish brat you're so valiantly protecting?" He snapped.

"I wasn't going to dodge, regardless; I will deal out the punishment to her regarding her words on my own terms, as well. Besides, I didn't say anything wrong." He rebutted sharply.

Serizawa closed his eyes calmly and huffed, removing the fan from his forehead and walking past the siblings, pausing short of a few feet. "It wouldn't really inconvenience us if we were to stop workin' together; if you don't like my methods, you're free to return to Edo whenever y'want… and take your bitch sister with you. Let's go, Niimi." He beckoned coolly, continuing on his way.

Toshi glared ahead as the quartet of men followed him until they left; his shoulders slumped a little and he exhaled.

Kawa blinked when he turned to look at her, meeting his violet eyes. "Nii-san," she began quietly, lowering her gaze; she flinched when he raised a hand, looking away out of shame.

"I'm surprised you didn't slap him for 'speaking like that of your brother in your presence'…" His hand landed on the top of her head, ruffling her hair gently; she opened her eyes and looked up at him in surprise, slightly confused as to why he was being kind instead of scolding her like she knew he would. "I'm glad that you're alright. Though the insults were a little over the top." He mused, perking her ears.

She quieted and then smiled wryly, punting his hand off her head aimlessly with a smirk. "I thought they were pretty well-needed, actually. Besides, forget my slapping him, y'shoulda sliced his head off with your sword, nii-san. It woulda been fun to see," she remarked playfully.

Toshi shook his head softly and exhaled, deadpanning. "It's a wonder you're able to keep up with the rest of us with that attitude." He rebutted.

Kawa pouted and sniffed, feigning hurt. "Yer so mean, nii-san!" She whined.

He chuckled quietly and smirked at her over-dramatics, poking her forehead with a finger. "Piss off; you're acting like a brat again." He chided.

She huffed.

"Are you two all right, Hijikata-kun?" Both siblings blinked when they heard that voice, looking to see Sannan-san, Souji, Kondou-san, the trio of monkeys –that is, Shinpachi, Sano, and Heisuke—and Ibuki standing there on the sidelines, looking at them expectantly.

"Y-you all were listening in?" Kawa stammered, blushing slightly out of embarrassment as Toshi shared in her surprise, cocking a brow.

Souji huffed. "'Course we did, we all heard that old fuck yellin' at you two. If y'want, I'd happily kill him for ya, love." He piped up, looking at her and winking; she blushed again and huffed, pursing her lips.

"What Souji meant to say is that we heard the commotion and came to see if there was any trouble." Kondou-san elaborated calmly, ignoring the pout from his favored prodigy and looking at the Hijikata siblings.

Toshi huffed. "Whether there's trouble or not, that man will clash with others simply by being alive." He offered calmly, slightly irritable about the whole matter, walking towards their friends.

Kawa followed at his heels, elbowing the lanky brunette that slung his arm around her shoulders again. "I might just join you in killing that old dog. Dunno how much longer I can take hearin' his barking voice." She muttered.

Souji chuckled and squeezed her shoulders. "I'd imagine ya'd look beautiful even with blood on your hands, Kawa-chan." He mused quietly.

She blushed prettily and snorted out of habit, looking away. "Piss off." She grated even when he chuckled softly in amusement.

"Although I'm sure that's true, you're going to have to work at ignoring what he says, Hijikata-kun." Sannan-san chided calmly, bringing them back to the main topic at hand.

Toshi snorted. "He'd have to die and be reborn for such a ludicrous thing to happen."

Everyone laughed.

His violet eyes registered on the bluenette present and narrowed slightly at him. "Who're you; you're not a guest of Yagi-san's, are you?" He wondered.

"Eh?" Ibuki blinked in confusion before looking away. "I'm, um…"

Kondou-san piped up, "he's the guy who collapsed on his way here; said he wanted to thank Serizawa-san for helping him."

Toshi nodded. "Makes sense."

"Oi, Ryunosuke, it looks like Serizawa-san's had a lot to drink; it'd be best if you waited 'til tomorrow to thank him, wouldn't it?" Shinpachi mused, looking at the bluenette.

"Yep, yep; Serizawa-san can't hold his liquor worth shit." Heisuke echoed.

Kawa huffed, "not as well as me, least ways. And I'm a woman." She chirped.

Sano smirked and planted a hand on her head, ruffling her hair. "Still haven't put that to the test, Kawa-chan." He teased.

"Oi, hands off my woman, Sano-san!" Souji elbowed his friend, making him drop his hand from her head.

**_THWACK_**.

"I am not '_your woman_', Okita Souji." Kawa cracked her knuckles as the aforementioned brunette held his broken nose gingerly in both hands, blood seeping between his fingers.

"Nah, but ya still pack a hell of a sucker-punch, Kawa-chan." Shinpachi snickered at the slightly teary-eyed scowl his fellow brunette steered in his direction.

She smiled lightly. "Aww, such a sweetie, Shinpatsu!" She teased, punching his arm.

Toshi rolled his eyes patiently at the playful demeanor his sister had with the boys, patting Souji on the shoulder. "Coulda warned you about that sucker-punch," he mused.

Souji snorted and rubbed his nose gingerly with a finger. "Piss off, Hijikata-san." He grated, shrugging past him.

"Alright, for now let's go back inside and have dinner; Yasakawa-kun helped and it looks great!" Kondou-san piped up, leading the group back inside.

"Hopefully Kawa-chan didn't burn anything, knowin' her," Souji mused teasingly.

Kawa huffed indignantly and stomped to walk next to Ibuki. "C'mon, Ryu-kun, don't listen to that jerk!" She declared loudly only to irritate said brunette.

A vein twitched on his temple as his green eyes narrowed in annoyance. _You take things too literal sometimes, y'know that?_ He wondered, stomping after her.

* * *

**review please; thanks~**


	2. Chapter 02

_Hakuouki in its entirety belongs to IDEA Factory/ Yone Kazuki-sensei; Kawa belongs to me._

* * *

The loud '_clack_' sound of the _shinai_ clashing hummed in the training hall.

She blocked his oncoming swing, shoving him off with a grunt and lunging from the side, both hands gripping the hilt of her wooden sword as she slammed her '_blade_' down onto his, the '_clack_' sound screeching and making her teeth hurt.

He huffed, smirking into her steely gray eyes, her frame shaking softly with her labored breathing his green eyes took in leisurely. "You're startin' to get faster after all, love," he mused.

She blinked at his compliment before huffing, smirking widely as she shoved her weight onto him using her arms, a cheeky light in her pretty face. "Cut the crap and just fight," she purred, grunting when he shoved her off rather hard.

Okita Souji flew at her with a flurry of swipes from his _shinai_, his blows unrelenting as he forced her back and onto the defense.

Hijikata Yasakawa gritted her teeth and growled, finally catching one of his oncoming swings and shoved him off, returning the volley of swipes and sending him on the defense, breaking the monotony once she saw he left his right side open for a blow.

With a quick block from his right hand's swinging 'blade' with one of her own from her right wrist, she thrust the _shinai_ in her left hand forward, jabbing his ribs as the wooden sword sailed beneath his armpit and came out behind him, making him freeze at getting hit.

Both combatants panted, one pair of green eyes looking where the other had struck as the pair of gray eyes lifted up to the former's green gaze, sizing up his response to her winning strike.

Shoulders slumping, he sighed. "Point." He admitted defeat patiently.

She grinned and pulled her _shinai _back, detangling to face him properly.

They bowed respectfully before she lowered the _shinai_ to the floor, stretching her arms to the ceiling with a yawn, and flopping back onto the cool wooden floor of the training hall with a tired moan.

Souji smirked down at her tired form and plopped down next to her, grunting softly at the creak in his tired muscles. "Shit," he muttered.

"Am I really getting faster… or were you just saying that to get me to lose focus?" Kawa wondered quietly, perking his ears.

He looked back at her, a soft light in his handsome face, as he leaned back onto the floor, shuffling to lie on his side and look at her. "Hmm, ta be honest, it was a bit of both." He hummed, brushing strands of hair from her face lazily.

She blushed softly and looked away, huffing quietly. "You're so predictable," she grated with a sigh.

Souji chuckled, green eyes glittering. "Y'think so, hnn?" He wondered coyly.

Kawa squeaked in surprise when she found him ontop of her in the next second, blinking back confusion as she stared up at his cocky green stare, before she blushed brightly and tried to shove him off. "S-Souji," she declared.

He smirked again and lifted a hand to hold her right wrist gently in his grip, surprising her, looking down at the narrow cut on her skin and the smudged blood stain around the menial injury. "Yer one reckless woman, y'know that?" He chided quietly, getting off her to retreat to his spot next to her.

She punched him reproachfully, sitting forward a little and lowering her gaze to her wrist, huffing. "And you're a pervert." She rebutted.

He blinked at her thick-skinned response, sitting up slightly to raise a hand and stroke her cheek, seeing her stiffen at his touch; he smiled wryly, leaning in to press his forehead to hers. "Quit frownin', it doesn't suit you. Yer too beautiful to look like that," he urged softly, perking her ears.

Kawa blushed again, prettily this time, looking away shyly from his penetrating green eyes. "Don't think you can charm me so easily, you overgrown, cocky, sadistic…" The rest of her insult was quieted when he tipped her chin upward to capture her lips in his own, kissing her softly.

Souji felt her stiffen like a board at his sudden kiss, keeping her chin in his fingers' grasp as his eyes slid closed; he was surprised to feel her fingers bunch in the fabric of his _haori_, bringing her mouth up to meet his a second time and kiss him slowly.

He felt like grinning like the idiot he was and used his free hand to encircle her small waist, bringing her closer as he released her chin to curl his fingers in her black hair she'd kept up in a ponytail, hearing her make a small noise in the back of her throat that made him grin softly.

She pulled away rather reluctantly, blushing still and panting a little, ignoring the hurt expression on his face at the break in their kiss; she cleared her throat and offered him a sheepish smile. "I've never kissed anyone before… um, I wasn't bad, was I?" She asked hesitantly, her gray eyes hopeful and shy at the same time.

He blinked at her question before his green eyes softened and he smirked gently, running a hand through her hair. "Nah, you were good, considerin' y'never kissed before." He replied.

Kawa beamed, blushing again and chuckling in relief, shuffling to her feet and picking up her discarded _shinai_ as well as his own, offering a hand of aid to him.

Souji took it, helping himself to his feet and watching her go put the wooden swords away on their perch nailed to the far wall, green eyes following the slight sway in her curved hips with a fond smile on his lips.

"C'mon, Souji," she beckoned, perking his ears.

He blinked again before smirking and trotting after her exit of the training hall, slinging his arm around her shoulders as they walked out into the mid-morning day.

:::::::o|o:::::::

"I thought it was weird to hear Hijikata-san sound so excited." Both men blinked at the familiar voice, looking to see the lanky brunette smirking at them from the courtyard with his usually-cocky green stare; his smirk widened. "Well, if it ain't Hajime-kun!"

The second man blinked. "Souji!"

"'Hajime-kun'?" The younger Hijikata repeated, poking past her companion to look at her brother and the second man that was in his room, her gray eyes falling on a raven-haired man wearing mostly black garb save a white scarf around his neck; his blue eyes looked at her gray in curiosity.

Souji elbowed her gently. "That's right, I forgot you never met. Saitou Hajime, Hijikata Yasakawa." He informed, smiling from one to the other.

Saitou nodded and dipped his head a second time in respect, seeing her bow slightly in response, before the name registered in his mind. "'Hijikata'…? I had no idea you were hiding family," he turned to the older of the two black-haired siblings.

Toshi exhaled and smirked, slightly sheepish on leaving his old friend out of the loop. "Kawa is my younger sister, half-sister, actually. Our father entrusted me to take her in." He explained.

Kawa smirked as well and huffed. "Don't make it sound so boring, nii-san." She chided.

Saitou looked between them again and smirked a little. "Now I see the resemblance." He mused thoughtfully.

Souji snickered before being jabbed in the ribs by her elbow, hearing her huff.

"Now there's a face I haven't seen in a while!" Everyone blinked once when Sano's voice came in before the aforementioned tall captain came forward, smiling lightly.

"Oh, Saitou!" Shinpachi chirped in surprise, poking his head past his friend into the room to see if his proclamation held true.

"Hajime-kun, dang it's been forever!" Heisuke piped up happily as the trio piled into the room.

Kawa rolled her eyes, smiling patiently. "Honestly," she muttered.

"C'mon, let's join the party." Souji urged, squeezing her hand in his as he dragged her with him to talk with his old friend, making her yelp slightly.

::::::o|o:::::::

The two _shinai_ clashing repeatedly hummed in her ears.

Having decided to come watch the spar, Kawa sat on the stone steps of the front of the training hall, left elbow on said knee supporting her chin as her right arm fell unceremoniously into her lap.

So far she was impressed.

Saitou Hajime, despite being welcomed warmly by the boys into the Roshigumi, was one **_hell_** of a warrior.

She was a little jealous even, mostly because his skill with using a blade left-handedly outmatched hers by a longshot.

Her gray eyes followed the mad swinging of the wooden blades; the 'clack' of wood clashing against each other made her ears hurt a little with the intense blows the two men shared, both trying to outdo each other and go for a vital spot on the other's body.

Time froze and seemed to come to a halt when they went for the killing blow, both combatants' swords raised high overhead.

She smirked wryly, drumming a couple of fingertips against the bottom of her left cheek.

'_One thing you will learn from what I have to teach you is to never lift your sword over your foe's head. Not only is it just plain reckless, but it also leaves your chest and abdomen wide open for a likewise-death blow from your foe. Remember that, Kawa._' Her sensei's words echoed in her head as she thought back to her old dojo days in Edo.

**Katsumoto-sensei was right**.

Her eyes widened slightly: Souji stood stock-still, frozen in place with his _shinai_ raised overhead, green orbs wide.

Saitou had dropped to a kneeling stance, landing accurately next to his opponent: the sharp end of the _shinai_'s blade touched the left side of the brunette's ribcage, earning her attention.

_Well, I'll be damned_, she thought, the smirk being replaced with a slow smile. _Saitou-kun is definitely no push-over_.

The surprise faded slowly from the lankier of the two men's face and his green eyes closed with a slight sigh of defeat. "You got one in."

She shuffled to her feet, blinking as she noticed a familiar bluenette had stayed to watch the match from the opposite end of the stone courtyard; her eyes softened and she smiled a little, securing her katana at her right hip before moving closer to the two men as they pulled away to bow respectfully, signaling the match was over.

"Neh, Hajime-kun, have you changed your style; you didn't go to a different dojo, didja?" Souji's question caught the stoic man off guard for the briefest moment as surprise flitted across his handsome face.

Saitou's blue eyes calmed and he met his friend's green stare. "No, I don't believe I have." He replied simply.

"Hm," he hummed quietly, deciding to let the subject drop; knowing Hajime-kun, if he didn't want to push a certain subject, then it was left moot.

"Both of you did well; though I'll bite, I'm kinda jealous that Saitou-kun is much more skilled at being left-handed than I am." The thoughtful female voice stirred their attention away and to the black-haired Hijikata woman moving towards them.

The brunette's face split into a gentle smirk, inwardly touched that she had praised him (albeit not directly, but he was fine with it), lifting a hand to ruffle her black hair gently. "What's to be jealous over? Yer just as good as Hajime-kun, and that's just bein' left-handed!" He chided.

Kawa's cheeks flared pink at his praise before she looked down shyly, hearing him chuckle softly. "Honestly, Souji," she mumbled.

Saitou blinked at seeing the unfamiliar gentleness that shone in his old sparring partner's green stare that fell on her, his own eyes softening at the sight before a slight smile formed on his lips. _Well this is a first_, he mused, vaguely wondering just how long of time he'd spent away from the Sheikan group he had called his friends to not see such a change in the ever-cocky and charming Okita Souji.

"I appreciate your compliment, Yasakawa-san," he mused, bowing his head a little out of courtesy.

She blinked once before smiling a little and shrugging. "S' nothing. I prefer 'Kawa', by the way. Only nii-san, Sannan-san, and Kondou-san call me by my full name." She offered sheepishly.

He nodded and smiled back. "I'll keep that in mind then, Kawa-chan." He saw her smile lighter than before.

The lanky brunette smirked to himself at seeing them get along, slinging his arm around the girl's waist and making her squeak in surprise at his sudden gesture. "C'mon, need to cool off." He urged her, perking her ears.

Kawa nodded and smiled up at him, looking to Saitou's slightly curious blue orbs and feeling sheepish again. "I guess we'll see you at dinner then, Saitou-kun." She offered, seeing him nod back and smirk faintly at his old friend (who was probably smirking like a Cheshire cat for all she knew), letting the couple walk away as he went in his own direction.

* * *

"Serizawa-san said somethin' nuts like that then?" He wondered rather expectantly.

She clicked her tongue and huffed. "Lowly old dog. Kondou-san shouldn't be thinking he's beneath him: they're on equal standing for God's sake. That man should just die in the streets like a drunken dog **should**." She grumbled, still pissed from that night where she'd stood at her brother's side out of loyalty as well as to uphold his name with honor, crossing her arms at her chest.

The lanky brunette next to her huffed as well and nodded. "You've never been more right, Kawa-chan," he mused, perking her ears.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and smiled fondly, smirking a little instead of letting her fondness show to the rest of their party gathered.

"Anywho, it looks like that old geezer seriously hates our guts. He's prolly still sore about the Honjo Inn incident." The younger brunette relented with a sigh of exasperation.

The bluenette next to him cocked a brow in confusion. "The 'Honjo Inn' incident…?" He repeated.

He blanched and spluttered nervously at spilling the beans, waving his hands frantically as his friends –aside from the latest face added to the mix—sweatdropped at his animated fluster. "W-well, um…"

The green-eyed brunette exhaled. "'Might as well fill him in; Hajime-kun don't know about it either." He offered patiently, seeing the only female present bristle visibly at the memory.

His teal-colored eyes dropped to the ground as if in shame and he hesitated to start the tale. "'Kay…" His retelling of the horrid tale became noiseless sound to her as she remembered that night, the night that blazed orange instead of being filled with bright stars… Her hands that were burrowed into the crooks of her elbows balled into fists at the sight of Kondou-san on his hands and knees begging for forgiveness from that man…

The man she hated.

Noticing her companion had stiffened as well, she stole a glance up at him to see he was staring into space, the slightest twitch in his jaw muscles showing if she looked closely; his green eyes were darkened in reminiscing.

She lowered her arms and lifted one to take his sleeve in her grip, gently pulling on the hem.

His hand lowered to grasp her own, his larger hand covering her smaller one perfectly; the stiffness in his body evaporated when her smaller hand squeezed on his, silently relaying the message that she was worried for his sanity.

Souji looked at her and smiled, albeit strained, but he smiled nonetheless.

Kawa returned the smile and let him pull her to his side, folding her arm on his back as he squeezed her shoulders with his long arm.

Even if they weren't really lovers, she did feel something for the ever-cocky brunette, she would admit.

But she realized that his actions alone spoke volumes, and for that she was very grateful.

::::::o|o::::::

He glanced at her as she kept her gray eyes on the tall straw dummy set before her, sunlight glinting off the sharp edge of her katana. "Neh, Kawa-chan, what're ya waiting for?" He wondered calmly.

She smirked at his comment before she lunged, pretending for the briefest moment that she was striking at Serizawa's fat neck and sharply swinging her left hand out, katana's blade catching more sunlight as it bounced off the silver color of the blade.

Straightening calmly a few feet away from the dummy, she flicked her wrist. The dummy split into two parts, both flopping onto the ground and leaving the stump as a memoir.

"Timing is everything, love." She sighed, smirking over at him and returning her katana to the black scabbard at her hip fastened by the blue sash around her small waist.

Souji smirked back and found that he liked the playful twinkle in her gray eyes; he had the sudden urge to kiss her infront of Saitou and Sano who were also practicing but hesitated in doing so, knowing she would not only scold him for it but also sucker-punch his nose later while blushing furiously.

He inwardly snickered; he loved seeing her blush, she was so cute when blushing.

A yelp sounded, jarring him from his rather lewd thought trail, making both left-handed members of his group perk up too as they watched Sano drag a protesting Ibuki further into the courtyard by the scruff of his _haori_.

Kawa deadpanned and exhaled, lifting a hand to run her fingers through her black hair. "Sano, honestly…" She muttered.

"C'mon, Ryunosuke, let's practice together." Sano ignored her muttered complaint –which earned him a pout from the younger Hijikata—as he finally stopped pulling the boy and let him stand before Souji, Kawa, and Saitou, seeming proud of his actions.

Ibuki snorted, "I gotta go shoppin' so I'm gonna hafta pass." He piped up a defense.

Souji snickered. "What now; did Serizawa-san send you out to buy more booze?" He wondered dryly.

Kawa elbowed him gently, sending a reproving look at the taller brunette present. "Both of you, let him be. If he doesn't wanna practice, don't force him. Besides, I'd imagine that old dog would be more pissed than a bear awoken from a nap if he didn't get his daily dosage of alcohol." She declared patiently, looking at the bluenette and smiling kindly. "Am I right?" She didn't need to know the answer, given she already figured it out, but still.

Ibuki blushed a little at having his honor being defended by a girl, nodding dumbly. "Y-yeah, you're pretty spot-on." _Maybe Kawa-chan isn't as thick-skinned as I first thought she was_, he mused inwardly, shrugging away from Sano to take off walking in the direction he'd been dragged from.

"Oi, it's dangerous out there, ya don't want me to come with you?" The aforementioned man wondered behind him, further irritating the bluenette.

"I'm not a kid; I can go by myself!" He snapped without looking over his shoulder.

"Really, now…" Sano deadpanned.

"Let 'im go. If he wants to die, let him go die." A gruff voice declared, making the young woman perk up in slight surprise at seeing him present.

Ibuki lifted his head and opening his eyes from the scowl they'd shut in to see a familiar stern face locking his violet gaze with his orange eyes that widened a little in surprise.

"Nii-san," she began quietly.

The boy bristled. "It's not like I want to die or anythin'!" He snapped, putting up a rebellious front that she knew would get his ass kicked by her brother if he wasn't the kind man he was.

Toshi's violet glare didn't waver. "You're not skilled with the sword and neither do you train; you can't even draw your sword to defend yourself! If you can't even do that, then why get into fights with rogue samurai on the street?" He stated sternly.

_Heisuke, that rat_, Ibuki mentally cursed his friend, gritting his teeth in annoyance.

"You can't blame me for thinkin' you're ready to die." He added in the same stern tone.

He glared at him now, "like you're one to talk! You came to the capital knowing you could get killed by ronin! That seems like enough of a death wish to…" His fiery rebuttal was silenced when the older man grabbed his scruff and glared hard into his surprised orange stare.

"Don't lump people trying to accomplish something with someone racing to his death!" His patience, however thin it was (the quartet beyond his reach could testify that it was indeed very thin), was starting to slip through his fingers as he felt that if his sister wouldn't brain him with her scabbard for doing so, he would've decked this idiot for being such a bull-headed wuss. "At the very least, you're not desperately trying to live!" More surprise made the boy's orange eyes widen as the truth of his words sank in like a knife. "If you don't wanna die, throw sand or mud in your foe's face and book it!" And with that, he dropped him at last and turned away to the rest of the compound.

Ibuki shuffled to his feet, looking at the retreating _fukuchou_ before Sano planted a hand on his head and patted his hair.

"That's his only way of showin' he's concerned for ya; s' his one way of expressing himself." The tall man mused.

She looked at her brother's retreating back and her shoulders slumped in a quiet sigh.  
"He means well, but as Sano said, he doesn't express himself in a… non-confronting way. Please forgive my brother." She added, looking at the bluenette and offering an apologetic smile.

He blinked at seeing it was his little sister that was asking for forgiveness, not her brother; he nodded a little.

* * *

**review please. thanks~ ;D **


	3. Chapter 03

_Hakuouki in its entirety belongs to IDEA Factory/ Yone Kazuki-sensei; Kawa belongs to me._

_*__**edit**__: short, chapter is short. bear with me, ne? otherwise, enjoy!_

***_**edit**__: "__**Roshin**__" - slang for rogue samurai.. again, bear with me, that's how i translated the term when doing reference. also, beats saying __**rogue samurai**__. ^^;_

* * *

She scowled slightly at the blood that washed off their clothes, crossing her arms.  
The sight of blood never irked her; but so long as it wasn't her brother's or Souji's that had been spilled, she remained unaffected.

"We barged into the lodge those roshin ran into, but the front desk clerk stopped us!" Shinpachi explained in a rather annoyed tone.

"'He stopped you'?" Sannan-san repeated.

He nodded, "yeah; he kept askin', 'who ordered you to do this? Go get the local police.'"

Toshi opened his eyes. "So that's how you lost the roshin." He surmised.

Shinpachi scoffed in his own annoyance again, scrubbing angrily at his clothes in the bucket. "Tch, what're the people of Kyoto thinkin', defending roshin?" He wondered aloud.

"We lack any funding or patrons, and the imperial nationalists –especially the Choshu ronin, are said to grease people's fingers." Sannan-san spoke up again.

Kawa huffed. "And that, kiddies, is how the world works. Don't they realize that even though we're not concrete just yet, we're trying to help them? The only person we'd aim our sword at isn't an innocent bystander, but one of those damn roshin." She grated, looking at her katana propped against the post and focusing her eyes on the blue fabric of the hilt.

Souji raised a brow at her words, smirking a little. "Well aren't you a damn-good philosopher." He teased gently, lifting a hand to ruffle her hair.

She blushed slightly and punted his hand off gently, pouting. "Shut up," she grumbled.

He smiled cheekily, tucking a few strands of hair behind her left ear absently, earning another flash of pink to appear in her cheeks; he looked over at his friend that had remained quiet the whole time and huffed quietly. "Neh, for someone who's just drawn another person's blood, you seem pretty calm about this, Hajime-kun."

The stoic man continued to scrub the blood off his yukata.

"Saitou, after having crossed blades with them, what do you think?" Toshi stepped in before the brunette could goad an answer, looking to his old friend.

Saitou undid the ties that kept his sleeves from getting wet aimlessly. "They were all lacking in skill with using a sword; but, given that our numbers were limited, I'm concerned about what'll happen should the enemy surround us." He said.

Kawa scowled at the thought.

"But it would take time and money to recruit new men and train them." Toshi muttered rather grimly, tapping his chin, before looking at the men –plus his sister—gathered. "For now, don't go out alone. Getting yourself killed won't do any good." He instructed.

Shinpachi checked on the once-stained clothes, "at any rate, there just isn't enough stuff we can do." He mused before thinking of something, looking at Sannan-san. "Hey, what happened with getting in with the Aizu Domain?"

The aforementioned bespectacled man looked a bit crestfallen. "We'll be sending an official petition to the Lord of Aizu for permission to remain in Kyoto soon." He informed, folding his arms.

"So there's a chance we'll get to stay in the capital?" Kawa wondered of him, lifting a brow.

"I can't say for sure; depending on their response, there's a possibility we'll have to leave Kyoto." Sannan-san replied. "Really though, our fate does rest on Serizawa-san's connections and course of action." He glanced at his fellow vice-commander at seeing his frown deepen at the mention of that man. "Just tell yourself that we're only using him." He advised.

Toshi scoffed as Kawa snorted aloud, "I can't make myself be that emotionally detached from this!" He protested. "You can say that's what pisses me off, but I swear that someday I'll outwit that man and lift Kondou-san to power." He stated, taking on a determined look that made his sister smile gently when seeing it cross her brother's face.

:::::::x|x::::::

A loud grunt of exertion sounded.

Eyes shooting open, she listened again for the noise, staying in bed rather than hopping to her feet and checking it out, closing her eyes to listen better.

The faint swinging of a blade on the air was something she could hear, another grunt escaping the wielder.

Quietly shuffling out of the sheets and to her feet, she gathered the lapels of her light-blue robe to herself and moving to the door of her room that opened to the closed-in courtyard of the compound.

Her gray eyes peered out into the night; the same grunt was heard again.

She closed the door a little, moving onto the porch and nearing the source of the noise; her feet came to a halt as she passed by a bush, gray eyes finding the source at last.

Okita Souji thrust the blade of his katana forward, completely focused on his invisible enemy he'd just skewered, yanking the sword back and going for another hit, grunting again.

She sat down on the edge of the porch, letting her legs dangle over the lip, watching him twist this way and that in the half moon's light.

This continued on for another ten minutes or more before she decided to make herself known.

His arm recoiled back to his side again. "I think you've stabbed the air enough times." Her voice carried to him calmly, stopping him from striking his invisible enemy.

His green eyes looked at the porch yards away from where he was to see the younger Hijikata sibling sitting on the edge, her lanky legs dangling over the wooden lip, watching him with curious amusement.

Souji smirked gently, the muscles in his body relaxing as he decided to call it quits for the night, returning his katana to the black scabbard at his left hip, panting slightly. "What're you doing up so late?" He returned, walking over to sit with her on the porch, uttering a quiet groan when he sat down, tired muscles creaking, his longer legs dangling over the lip next to hers.

Kawa looked even more beautiful in the moonlight, he realized; of course she'd let her hair down for bed, her black hair draped almost to mid-back, slightly-tousled bangs framing her face in a lovely way; one glance at her curved body covered up with the blue sleeping robe and he noted that she had allowed a slightly-modest amount of cleavage to show, evidently making that familiar something on his lower regions tighten at seeing her current state.

She smiled wryly and rubbed the back of her neck. "I heard you practicing." She explained simply, her voice quiet so as to not disturb anyone else who was sleeping.

He nodded, seeing her eyes lift up to the moon half-full in the night sky overhead. "So was it a good show?" He wondered, half teasing and half curious.

She nodded back and her eyes darkened slightly, something that caught his attention. "Souji, why were you practicing so late? I'm not going to scold you, I… I just wanna know." She asked, keeping her gaze fixed on the moon.

Souji blinked at her sudden question, looking at the silent courtyard before them and his green eyes tightened. "That man, he's the reason I'm practicing. I wanna get stronger so I can rip him to shreds for all the bullshit he's done and said… For threatening Kondou-san, and you." He saw her look at him in slight surprise out of the corner of his eye; his eyes furrowed into a scowl at a certain bush. "I know I didn't say it that night he almost hurt you, but the mere idea that an overgrown old fuck like him would slap the woman I love makes me want to kill him. What he did to Kondou-san was bad enough, but I hate that he insults you and that night he tried to slap you…" His voice had trailed off, a soft growl reverberating from somewhere inside his chest as he explained to her his reasons.

"Souji," Kawa murmured in slight awe, looking down at the grass as his words replayed in her head; she huffed quietly, a wry smile forming on her full lips. "'The woman you love', huh?" She mused.

He looked at her and his eyes softened as he saw blush staining her cheeks pink, nodding. "Damn straight." He replied.

She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder; he blinked in brief confusion before he slid his arm around her waist, squeezing gently as she nuzzled her cheek into his shoulder. "I love you too." She murmured.

His green eyes widened slightly before he smiled fondly, his arm around her waist pulling her closer as he kissed the top of her head, his nose in her black hair. "No matter what, I swear that I'll protect you, Kawa. I won't let anyone hurt you." His arm squeezed again, stiffened a little as he briefly saw the image of that man's face in his head when he promised to make sure noone hurt his princess.

Kawa nodded, pressing her cheek into his upper arm. "I'll hold you to that, then, Souji." She mused softly.

Souji smiled again, hearing her sigh quietly as she closed her eyes.

They sat there for a long time.

He blinked when he noticed that she'd fallen asleep, looking down at her even as sleep beckoned him, at the peaceful expression that adorned her face, strands of black hair in her view, noting that she was snoring a little; he smirked gently, shaking his head a little in patience and inwardly sighing.

_Sleep, princess, yer gonna need it_, he thought, shifting in his seat to get up, making sure she was still comfortably sleeping against him; his arms lifted her up so he could carry her bridal-style to her room.

Lightly moving the door open and close with his foot, Souji carried her to the futon and set her down amidst the sheets, watching her shiver a little before she pulled the blankets over her body, curling into a ball; he smiled softly at how cute she looked, shuffling to sit down against the wall near her futon, slipping his swords from the sash at his waist and propping them up next to hers.

He folded his arms over his chest and watched her sleep for another several minutes before he too drifted to sleep, closing his eyes.

* * *

**review please; thanks~ ;') **


	4. Chapter 04

_Hakuouki in its entirety belongs to IDEA Factory/ Yone Kazuki-sensei; Kawa belongs to me._

* * *

"Everyone listen up: we just received a letter from Lord Aizu, the Kyoto Police Commissioner. He's going to officially place us under his charge!" Kondou-san announced proudly to the men gathered.

A round of awed responses and cheers came from the group, excitement buzzing in the air.

Niimi spoke up, as much of an ass-kisser as ever, "it's amazing how Serizawa-sensei swayed the Shogunate!"

Kawa covered her mouth daintily to suppress a snort; _how did he do that? That old bastard couldn't sway a dog to eat his own shit even if he tried_, she thought.

The meeting ended with Serizawa deciding they would celebrate by going to Shimabara, excitement never leaving the meeting room as the men dispersed and slowly left the room to tend to their tasks.

"Oi Kawa-chan, you come too!" She blinked when Shinpachi's voice stirred her from her thoughts; she looked to see he was standing next to Serizawa, gray eyes curious and slightly baffled at his invite before she smiled cheesily and waved him off.

"I'd rather pass on the invite, to be honest, Shinpatsu…" She tried to excuse herself.

A long arm wrapped around her waist, surprising her slightly, before she looked up at his green eyes. "C'mon, we're all going; 'sides, it'd be much better to stare at you than the brothel girls." Souji urged calmly, smirking at the slight pink that stained her cheeks.

Kawa huffed and looked away shyly. "Fine, fine," she muttered in defeat.

Saitou rolled his eyes at the brunette's method of getting her to go with them. "Your antics cease to amaze, Souji," he muttered, inwardly slapping his forehead.

::::::::o|o:::::::

That man's barking laugh was starting to get on her nerves.

She abstained from looking over at him and sending him a stinging glare, looking at her eaten food and sipping sake from the small cup in her hand, putting it back on the tray.

The light buzz of the alcohol burning her throat gently made her briefly shiver; she shook her head softly, pursing her lips.

"Oi, Okita, you sure are a funny brat, staring at us men instead of the geiko." That man's slightly-slurred drawl perked his ears, stirring him from his thoughts.

She looked at her companion curiously, seeing that he had indeed been staring off into space… or rather, if she knew him better –and at this point, she did, at Serizawa. Her brow furrowed softly.

He huffed, reverting to a slightly-sadistic-yet-teasing tone that made the crease on her brow deepen. "Nah, not really; ta be honest, I'm not really interested in places like this." _Not when the whores look like shit compared to Kawa_, he inwardly added, smirking at the older man.

This briefly surprised him. "Eh, then why'd ya come?" He wondered.

"Ain't it obvious? I came because I figured it'd be a great opportunity to cut ya down." His smirk widened.

Kawa spat out her drink, coughing before Saitou whacked her back gently. "S-Souji!" She coughed, looking at him in alarm and surprise. _Has he finally gone mad? He's joking, he has to be_… She looked at his eyes trained on the older man and felt a shiver roll down her spine.

No, he wasn't… **_He wasn't joking_**.

Serizawa's booming laugh surprised her; surprise slightly flickered on the brunette's face before it faded as quick as it had come, his green eyes stoic.

"'Cut me down'; a snot-nosed shit like you? **What a joke**!" He crowed, aiming his fan at the younger man like an accusatory finger.

He grit his teeth, glowering at him.

She shivered again at seeing the cold look in his jade green eyes, putting her cup down and tugging on his sleeve, seeing his fingers curl in the fabric of his green hakama; her brow furrowed.

"But your death threats mean nothin' to me. Although, I can't say the same when it comes to that Hijikata bloke." He mused aloud, studying the brunette's reaction with a calculating stare, beady gray eyes focused as if he hadn't downed so much booze.

"'Hijikata-san'?" He repeated, cocking a brow.

Her eyes narrowed at the mention of her brother, her fingers gripping his sleeve. _You __**should**__ be afraid, you overgrown dog… __**Very**__ afraid_, she thought grimly.

"When that man glared at me, I even felt chills for a split second!" He admitted to the quieted room. "Compared to his threats, your death threats are nothin' more than childish prattle to me." He drawled, studying his reaction once more.

Souji's lip curled. "Is that so? I'd be willin' to truly kill ya if that's the case…" He growled softly.

"Souji," having heard enough, Saitou spoke up from above the rim of his cup, blue eyes closed.

Kawa briefly felt relief at his beckon, making a mental note to thank him later on once they were safely back home.

"He's killed more than just one or two men." Serizawa pointed out, making the couple glance at the stoic man next to them. "He's far more imposing than you." He chuckled, smirking at ruffling Souji's feathers effortlessly.

She bristled, gray eyes hard. "Serizawa-san, please, that's enough." She declared, speaking up since earlier.

He snorted. "Keep your mouth shut, whore. You may be that bastard's brat sister, but there are rules here in the Roshigumi, and you're lookin' at the one in charge. Know your place and keep your nose to yourself." He growled in slight annoyance.

Souji growled under his breath; Kawa kept her glare on him, her anger starting to overboil again.

"For the man in charge, you really have a knack for fucking things up and terrorizing people wherever you go." She knew Toshi would scold her later for speaking out of turn, but she couldn't stop; her hands curled into fists as she saw his eyes sharpen at her words. "I'd rather die in the streets than be ordered what to do by a cowardly drunken dog like you, Serizawa. And for the record, _**you're not half the man Kondou Isami is**_." She snarled coldly, feeling surprisingly calm even though she could sense and nearly taste the tenseness in the room that had become like electricity.

"_You damn whore!_" He snarled, flicking his wrist and sending his fan flying at her.

'**_FWHACK_**'.

Souji's eyes widened: Sano, Shinpachi, and Heisuke blanched: Saitou's eyes opened and widened a little.

The fan fell into her lap softly as a thin trickle of crimson trailed down her forehead from the narrow cut to her right temple, dripping down her chin onto the dark navy fabric of her _hakama_.

Kawa lifted a hand to aimlessly wipe the blood from above her right eye, closing it as her hand brushed against the closed lid. "Is that all? Pfeh and I was expecting a more harsh beating! I really don't see why nii-san hesitates to run ya through; there's nothing to be afraid of… **You're not a threat to Hijikata Toshizou, or to me, Hijikata Yasakawa**." She grinned cheekily, brazenly.

"Insolent bitch, how dare you!?" Niimi was the one to shout this time, leaping to his feet just as his master did, albeit faster and a bit clumsily.

Serizawa glowered at the insolent female, katana preparing to fly from his scabbard. "You… you** fucking whore**…" He snarled, lunging.

"Forgive the intrusion!" The room stilled instantly at the overly-accented female voice that came from outside.  
Two geiko appeared at the doorway, both girls bowed respectfully.

She lessened her grip on the hilt of her katana, slightly relieved and yet slightly rattled, retreating to sit down between Souji and Saitou as Serizawa stiff-leggedly retreated to his seat.

Momentary peace passed as the young geiko –Kosuzu or something like that was her name—was introduced and made to perform the typical geiko arts (Shamisen-playing, fan-dancing… both were things alien to Kawa, but she couldn't help but think both arts were beautiful in their own way).

:::::::o|o::::::

She pouted up at him as he placed the bandage on her cut.

"Is he still mad?" She asked quietly once he had put the first-aid away, looking down at her lap.

He took a glance at the back-hall behind her room, looking at her to see she was looking at her folded knees, her hands in her lap as the amber glow of the lantern near her highlighted the mane of black hair that fell down her back; he sighed. "Not sure, we won't know 'til he comes over." He replied.

She flinched slightly and nodded, her gray eyes on the old scars that had faded on her wrists and hands, particularly on her right arm. "Right," she murmured.

He huffed quietly at the penitent vibe she gave off, shuffling to her side and pulling her into a hug.

Kawa blushed and squeaked slightly in surprise, quieting when his arms tightened before she snuggled into his chest, positioning herself to sit in his lap and fold her arms on the back of his neck.

Souji smiled slightly, running his fingers through her thick hair. "If it lightens things, I've never been prouder. I know ya didn't bring it up, but you defended my honor and pride. I'm glad… But you're still the most reckless, beautiful woman I've ever met." He praised, his breath at her nape, making her shiver in his lap.

She reared back to shift her weight and look into his green eyes, blushing softly. "Of course I did; hell, I had to. I hate that man as much as you do, and the fact that you're the man I love, it was a given that I defend you. Besides, someone had to throw him off his pedestal." She shrugged innocently, smiling warmly despite her words.

His hand in her hair brought her head closer, bumping her forehead gingerly with his, making her wince a little before she blushed again and pouted, earning a chuckle from him. "You're one hell of a woman, Kawa." He mused, upturning his lips to kiss her deeply.

She blushed deeper and shivered once more, her arms squeezing his neck before she relaxed and eased into the kiss, kissing him lovingly and curling her fingers in his shaggy hair.

A knock sounded on the door from the back-hall, making them jump slightly, his arms pulling her to his chest protectively as his body tensed on reflex.

"Kawa?" Her brother's voice breached past the flimsy shoji door.

He mentally cursed his friend's untimely intrusion, reluctantly letting her slip out of his lap to get to her feet and fix her hair and haori, shuffling to answer the door as he moved to sit by the lantern, gathering his katana to his side and propping it against his left shoulder.

"Nii-san," she nodded once opening the door, letting him enter before closing it behind his entrance.

He briefly spared the lanky brunette a look, sensing that he had interrupted something, before turning to his sister; his shoulders slumped in a weary sigh. "You're lucky you only got away with a scrape." He began.

She nodded slightly, her eyes cast down. "Toshi, about what happened…" She started to explain.

"I'm not finished." He stated, seeing her wince; she nodded again, fidgeting slightly under his scolding stare. "That man can be hard to deal with, you know as well as I… Both of you." He spared the brunette another look; he glanced at him and smirked cheekily before his violet eyes returned to the quiet form of his sister. "For now, we've calmed him down. Of course he's still the same rotten bastard that he is, but that's normal… I had half a right mind to smack you upside the head for speaking out of turn the way you did, especially in public." He saw her cringe slightly, keeping her head bowed.

"Nii-san," she murmured.

Toshi sighed again, placing a hand on her shoulder and surprising her; her gray eyes lifted up to meet his violet eyes that had softened in something she could assume was a mixture of pride and satisfaction. "But I'm grateful that the scrape on your forehead is the only damage done. Even though you said the things you said, and almost got killed for it," at this his eyes tightened before calming again, "thank you for sticking up for Kondou-san and myself." He finished, further surprising her.

Kawa's widened eyes softened and she nodded, smiling up at him as her body relaxed. "Is the mighty Hijikata Toshizou going soft on me?" She wondered, poking fun now that the coast was clear.

He blinked before he huffed, smirking gently and tousling her hair. "Don't think you're totally off the hook just yet, little sister. As far as anyone in the compound is assured, you're technically in hot water with Serizawa. 'Course that doesn't mean you can't fight your way out of it." He reminded, glancing at the bandage on her temple briefly.

She huffed as well and pulled his hand off her head, folding her arms at her chest. "I still detest that man, and I swear that I'll fight anyone who tries to hurt you, Souji or Kondou-san. I may be the only woman here but that doesn't mean I'm a push-over." She promised stubbornly.

Both men blinked at her words before they seemed to smile at the same time.

Her brother nodded, violet eyes soft once more. "I wouldn't expect less from the woman who shares my family name." He mused, turning to leave the room through the front door.

The brunette smirked lightly, straightening and stretching his arms. "Methinks ya really are goin' soft on our princess, Hijikata-san," he teased his friend, looking at him with one open green eye.

Toshi smirked at him, huffing as he opened the door. "Isn't it a bit late for you to be heckling, Souji?" He quipped calmly.

Souji chuckled and shrugged aimlessly. "Ain't it a bit late for you to be scoldin' yer own sister?" He remarked.

He only rolled his eyes and spared said woman a brief smile, once again sensing something between the man he stood next to and his sister, before exiting into the quiet night and closing the door behind his leave.

"I thought he'd never leave," he mumbled, blinking when he felt two hands take his face in their grasp before his lips met her softer ones, surprising him; Souji calmed in her hold and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to his chest once more and kissing her hotly, his hands trailing down her hips to her rear to grope lightly, hearing her squeak and grumble curses against his lips, making him grin.

Kawa retracted in his arms, blushing and panting slightly, stroking his cheekbones gently in her grasp and watching him pout briefly when she broke the kiss before he leaned into her touch, his arms around her leaving no room between them so she distinctly felt something poke her abdomen below, a fresh blush staining her cheeks red before she focused on his pleased face and exhaled. "Are you alright, y'know, from earlier tonight?" She wondered softly, taking him by surprise.

Souji opened one green eye at her question, mulling over his answer and curling a finger in a lock of black hair on her shoulder aimlessly as he thought. "I still hate him, now more than ever that he hurt you even if it's just a scratch…" His strong shoulders slumped again in an exhale. "But knowing that you're safe and not bein' forced to commit suicide for what you said, I'm better than earlier." He admitted.

She nodded slightly, blushing a little when he nosed her cheek, his mouth lowering to land kisses on her neck. "I'm glad to hear that." She replied.

He smiled, leaving a small love-bite on her neck and kissing it gently, lifting his face to stare at her. "'Course seein' ya rattle his cage like that really made me proud to love a woman like you." He added, smirking.

Kawa smiled back, sighing. "I forgot to thank you for bringing me back to my room the other night." She mumbled, looking away out of shyness.

Souji blinked before smirking again, kissing her gently. "That kiss you pulled a minute ago was payment enough." He purred against her lips, making her shiver for another different reason entirely.

She blushed more and pouted slightly at his making her shiver in his arms, gently smacking his chest with the back of her right hand. "Go to bed already; s' been a long night." She scolded, pulling out of his grip.

He pouted cutely, making her giggle, before he smiled in reluctant defeat and sighed, nodding. "Yes, ma'am," he saluted her with a hand, turning to the door as she followed him.

"Sleep well, Souji," she wished.

Souji turned to pull her into another kiss, only this one seemed to carry a hungry edge to it that made her tremble, pulling back to grin softly at her baffled expression that made her look adorable. "Doubt it, with the friggin' boner ya just gave me, Kawa-chan," he teased with a wink.

Kawa's cheeks flared red before she stammered out a huff and looked away, crossing her arms over her chest. "Get going!" She barked, flustered at his perverted comment.

With a chuckle and sly grin, he stepped out into the night and shut her door behind his leave before retreating to his own room in reluctance.  
_Well, there goes that random-as-fuck idea to do it tonight_, he thought, pouting to himself.

:::::::o|o:::::::

"Those rules are definitely too strict." He complained, arms crossed.

She ran the cloth along the length of the short sword's blade.

"If Kondou-san thinks those rules are necessary, then I'll obey them, too." He offered nonchalantly.

The youngest member of the group gathered continued to draw lines in the dirt. "That goes for me, too, but I don't like my friends gettin' tied down by those rules…" He pouted.

"Those rules will come in handy once we start getting new recruits from now on." He mused.

"I know that! But it's kinda different from how I imagined it…" The younger brunette exclaimed, quieting as he mulled over their newest reality again.

"That reminds me, Kawa-chan. Given that you're here because Hijikata-san took you in on the last wish of your father, will you also follow those rules? To be blunt, women aren't allowed to wield a sword, let alone be enlisted in an organization like the Roshigumi…" The most stoic of them all pointed out, looking to the only female present.

She blinked at being singled out, noting that five sets of eyes were on her now, his included; her cheeks colored slightly before she put down the sword in her lap, sighing. "Nii-san wrote them, no doubt, to keep that old dog in check; a wise decision, even if it is quite literally a double-edged sword. But just because I'm a woman I don't expect to be treated like a princess. Not once did I think that, even when nii-san took me in and let me stay with you lot. So to answer your question, yes, I'll obey them." Her face softened and she smiled wryly at his blue eyes. "Besides, I wouldn't be a woman of my word if I didn't stick it out with you lot over some silly rule book." She added with a cheeky glint in her gray eyes.

The green-eyed brunette smirked, being the first to recover, pulling her by his arm's fold on her back to nuzzle the side of her head, making her squeak and then pout at his public display of affection. "That's my girl," he mused happily.

The rest of the men deadpanned when she smacked him upside the head, making him let go to rub the large bump gingerly and pout; she folded her arms over her ample bust, cheeks red, a huff on her breath. "How many times do I hafta tell ya not to call me that, Souji?" She scolded calmly.

The tallest of the brunettes present smiled cheekily. "Aww, aren't they cute together?" He teased.

The couple blinked before their faces turned a matching shade of pink at his words.

"**Shut up, Sano**!" They barked in chorus.

* * *

A sweatdrop formed on her brow.

Between Saitou off in his own world when it came to miso soup and Shinpachi and Heisuke bickering over their food, Kawa finally felt like this part of her daily life was beginning to not only become the norm but also something that was beginning to not phase her.

_Geez_, she thought, sipping her own bowl of soup absently.

"Oi, Ryunosuke, take someone else's food before they get yours!" Said oldest brunette barked over the banter he and his younger friend shared, earning another deadpanned stare from the only girl present.

"R-right!" Ibuki nodded, taking their advice, before he rounded on the one person he should not even have considered rounding on (and her brother wasn't the one, either): **Saitou**. "In that case…!"

As quick as when drawing the sword from the scabbard, a pair of chopsticks were poised at his unguarded throat, making the bluenette freeze and choke out a yelp of surprise.

"If you need me for something, wait until I finish eating… In the world of beasts, you don't have much room to complain if a stronger beast kills you for disturbing its' meal." Saitou deadpanned, a slight vein twitching on his brow. "Also, this is one of my favorite dishes: don't ever go after it!" He added lowly.

Ibuki nodded dumbly and fell back on his backside, slightly shaken. "R-right, my bad!" He yelped.

Kawa snickered, taking a sip from her cup. "Coulda told ya twice not to bug Saitou-kun; s' kinda like disturbing a cat during it's nap." She mused lightly.

Saitou sweatdropped. "I'm glad to see you also sympathize when it comes to guarding one's food, Kawa-chan." He mused.

She giggled and winked. "No problem; don't blame you one bit, Saitou-kun."

"Oi, oi, what the hell happened to bein' nice to the new guy?" Shinpachi wondered of her, perking her ears.

Kawa deadpanned, sipping her soup heartily. "Can't be nice to the corpse of the _bakkero_ who disturbed Saitou-kun's meal during his last moments in this world, now can you, Shinpatsu?" She remarked coolly, popping a clump of her diminishing rice into her mouth and chewing.

She blinked when he went back to whatever conversation Sano was having with Ibuki, looking at her companion sitting at her right and noting that he was eating rather quickly; she tilted her head to one side, looking down at her own food and finishing her soup, picking at her rice.

"Thanks for the meal." Souji mused a few minutes later, stirring her from her thoughts, as he started to get up.

"That was fast, Souji." Kondou-san noted aloud, making him pause.

"Yeah, I was gonna put in a bit of sword practice. Every second counts, after all." He replied calmly, slightly surprising her, as he stood and went for the doors.

"Practicing right after you eat is bad for ya," Shinpachi chimed.

He huffed. "Well I'm not lucky like Shinpatsu and Hajime-kun. I'm dyin' to slay a bunch of those roshin." He declared, slightly surprising the rest of the room's occupants.

Kawa's eyes sharpened before she recalled that night she'd found him practicing in the courtyard, looking at her unfinished rice as her brow furrowed thoughtfully.

Heisuke also tilted his head to the side slightly. "Neh, Souji, haven't you been actin' odd lately?" He wondered.

Toshi scowled at the brunette. "Souji, I want you to go back to Edo." He declared, seeing his frame tense at the request.

Souji tried to laugh it off. "That joke ain't the slightest bit funny, y'know." He quipped, green eyes widened a little.

"Lately, Serizawa-san's influence is making you go on about killing and the like, and you're still a kid: he's making you lose sight of yourself." Toshi continued as he glanced over at him.

Kawa looked at her brother, the crease in her brow deepening. "Nii-san…" She began to speak up.

Souji gritted his teeth. "Hijikata-san, you're just sayin' that because ya don't like that I stick by Kondou-san, don't you?" He snapped, glaring at him.

Toshi's violet eyes were stern and stoic at the same time. "If that's what you want to believe, go ahead." He replied calmly.

"Toshi, why bring this up so suddenly?" Kondou-san asked, confused on the reason he had yet to reveal.

"We came to Kyoto to install peace, but all he wants to do is kill; it's all he thinks about." Toshi explained gravely, scowling at said brunette again. "We can't let someone like that stay here!"

Souji's hands balled into fists at his sides.

"Souji," Kondou-san began.

"No way; there's no way in hell I'm goin' back! I came here to stay and help you, Kondou-san!" Souji shouted, turning on his heel to throw open the door and bolt into the night.

"**Souji**!" Kawa jumped to her feet to go after him.

"Let him go, Yasakawa. He'll be back." Toshi stopped her before she could take off, seeing her look at him alertly.

She glared at him and scoffed, her hands fisting at her sides. "Regardless, I still have to go after him. You may think he's hopeless, but he's not! Souji can't help it if he hates that man. But apparently you don't give a damn about what happens to your friend if he gets hurt out there." She declared angrily, turning to bolt after the brunette into the night.

"**Kawa**!" Toshi called until he heard her footsteps disappear, cursing under his breath. "Damn it, that girl is too headstrong for her own good, sometimes…" He muttered, scowling at where she sat mere minutes ago.

* * *

**review please; thanks~ ;D**


	5. Chapter 05

_Hakuouki in its entirety belongs to IDEA Factory/ Yone Kazuki-sensei; Kawa belongs to me._

* * *

Kondou-san had told her about Souji's past, albeit only small bits and pieces; most of what he told her sounded a lot like her own past, save that she had noone to care for her except her mother. The fact that she learned the way of the sword two years younger than Souji had was a surprise to not only herself but to Kondou-san as well.

In a lot of ways, Kondou-san was a lot like her own sensei, Katsumoto Mori-sensei. Both of them never lost faith in either Souji or Kawa, despite their obvious difficulties.

'_No way am I going back; I'm gonna stay and help you, Kondou-san!_'

_Souji_… she paused short of another alley, having made sure to keep clear of the busier parts of the city, peering into the darkness and finding no sign of him.

With a brief sigh, she decided to try the river; she highly doubted he was there, even though something was nagging in the back of her mind to try looking for him there, and so she went.

Finally reaching the river, she bent over a bit to grip her knees and regain her breath, having paused short of stepping onto the bridge that covered the river.

"Imagine my surprise to see you here." His familiar voice declared, perking her ears.

_Jackpot_, she thought, straightening and wiping a few beads of sweat from her brow as she stood and saw his lanky figure leaning over the lip of the bridge's railing, staring into the darkness.

"Toshi tried to talk me out of coming to find you, but I came anyway. Kondou-san and the others are worried, too." Kawa informed quietly, walking forward to stand at his side and lean over the bridge's railing.

Souji's face softened at the mention of his older-brother-figure, huffing softly. "That a fact? It's not like I was gonna run away forever; I was gonna come back…" He mused.

"That's beside the point, idiot." She interjected, making him glance at her from staring at the stars overhead.

"The guys weren't the only ones worried… I was worried, too. I was afraid, for the briefest moment, that you'd gone and left us for good." She admitted, looking at the flowing water beneath them as her cheeks warmed, pink blush staining her cheekbones.

He cocked a brow at hearing her confession, turning to rest his back against the railing, folding his arms in the sleeves of his red haori. "You're an idiot sometimes, y'know?" He exhaled.

She looked up briefly at him, a soft breeze tugging at her black hair as well as his reddish brown hair. "What's that for?" She pressed, curious.

Souji huffed again, his eyes on the twinkling stars once more. "Over a week ago, I told you that I loved you, remember? What kind of dumbass would I be to leave behind my friends as well as the woman I declared my love to?" He imagined her eyes widened slightly at his words; he smiled wryly up at the brilliant orbs overhead. "I'm not leaving you, Kawa. I won't ever leave your side. Hell, I refuse to! No matter what anyone says or tries to do to try and break us apart, I'm not going anywhere. Got that?" He declared sternly.

Kawa felt her eyes soften as she nodded, smiling in relief and happiness. "I wouldn't have it any other way, actually. I'm glad, I really am." She sniffed and laughed weakly.

He looked at her then, seeing the rims of her eyes looked puffy; something inside his chest clenched at the idea of her shedding tears, even if they were happy ones. He smiled gently, reaching to tug on the blue sash at her waist to pull her into his arms as he turned to face her so she landed in his chest with a slight 'oof' that made him chuckle.

She blushed again and smiled when his arms wound around her hips, burying her cheek into his upper shoulder and hugging him tightly. "I love you, Souji."

Even though he'd had his fair share of girls in his younger days, not one of them made him feel this way like he felt for the one currently in his arms; his arms tightened on reflex and he kissed the temple that had been scratched a week ago. "I love you too, Kawa."

"I imagine you were a cute kid back when Kondou-san took you in." She mused after a long moment of silence.

His cheeks flared pink at her words before he pouted, making a grumbled noise in the back of his throat. "Shut up," he scolded, hearing her giggle.

"Souji!" Both of them perked up to see two figures running toward them, noting that as the figures drew closer they could see it was Kondou-san with Ibuki at his side.

"Kondou-san," Souji began with a slight smile.

Kawa smiled in relief again, glad to see both him and Ibuki present. "Took ya long enough, Kondou-san." She jibed gently.

* * *

A slow exhale escaped.

"So he threw you out to buy more booze again?" She guessed.

He nodded, throwing her a glance for what seemed the umpteenth time. "Yeah, he drinks sake like its water… Um, Kawa-chan, can I ask you something?" He returned, seeing her lift a brow at his questioning tone despite her leisurely posture with her arms folded behind her head and her eyes closed despite the fact that they were walking and getting closer to finding that liquor store he'd been recommended to a few months back for Serizawa's habit.

"So long as it ain't anything perverted, fire away." She shrugged.

"Well, alright, first off, why did you decide to come with me so late? Wouldn't Okita-san worry over you?" He asked.

Kawa opened an eye at the mention of her lover, smirking gently and closing her eyes again. "Nah, he knows I don't like anyone else in the compound, and he'd prolly kill the bastard that tried to take advantage of "his woman"." A slight tic in her cheek at the pronoun before she sighed. "To fully answer your question, I was bored and the boys threw me out of the kitchen because it was their turn to cook, so here I am." She explained.

Ibuki nodded, deeming her explanation fair and suppressing a shudder at being the unlucky bastard to be at the receiving end of Okita-san's katana, relaxing his pace as they were within sight of the liquor store. "Okita-san really loves you then, if he's that protective and willing to kill Serizawa-san for calling you names." He mused.

She opened the same eye again before huffing and sliding it shut. "He can be a bit possessive, I know, and he's lecherous and sometimes a complete idiot… but I love him just as much as he does me, so I can't complain much. I'd rather not, really; Toshi would maim him if he heard otherwise." She chuckled softly at the thought, smirking again and stopping as he went inside the store to get more sake, leaning against the outer wall with her arms dropped to cross over her chest, making sure her katana was visible as she waited for him to run his errand before they could retreat to the compound.

"Did you want to ask another question?" Kawa asked calmly as they started back home, sidling to his right side on reflex and keeping her arms folded over her chest.

Ibuki blinked before nodding again. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" He looked sheepish, which she spared a kind smirk at, briefly hesitating to ask. "Um, why do… why do you wield a sword? I'm not tryin' to say that women are second-rate compared to men, okay? I guess I'm just curious on why you wield a sword and fight with your fists and kicks…" He trailed off in embarrassment.

"You're wondering why I'm the opposite of how girls normally act in this day and age." She surmised, glancing at his slightly flushed face. "Neh?"

He nodded mutely. "Yeah."

She sighed again, lifting a hand to tap her chin in thought. "Well, ta be honest, noone's ever asked that of me before, not even Souji." She laughed sheepishly, using the hand that tapped her chin to rub the back of her neck. "I guess it's because I was basically raised in a dojo since I was seven. I never had a father; he left my mother before I was born, so it was just her and me in a tiny house in Edo. Mom worked her ass off to keep us alive and food in our guts for nineteen years. But on the dojo thing, it's kinda funny, really: I was roaming the streets one day when I was seven, dunno what I was doing at the time, but all I remember from that day is seeing a few boys picking on a little girl in the back of an alley that I so happened to pass through. I guess the Hijikata blood in me musta gotten out because I ended up beating those boys and scaring them away from the poor girl and a day or so later after that incident I saw the same boys again, only they had a man with them, seeming to point me out to him. Turns out that man would be my future sensei, Katsumoto-sensei; he was a lot like Kondou-san. He was impressed that I had done something so brash and asked me to join his dojo; said something about how he liked my fighting spirit. I busted my ass through twelve years at Reishin Dojo, fighting boys that dared think they could take me on and win through pure superiority and bull-headedness. The rest is history." She explained, a wistful tone in her voice as she thought back to the fun she had back in Edo.

He smiled wryly. "So you were a hard-ass, even as a kid." He mused.

Kawa blinked at the term before she laughed, smiling humbly. "Pfeh, I wouldn't be here if I didn't have the same backbone my brother has." She remarked.

Ibuki laughed with her.

"Ryunosuke!" Both of them blinked at hearing the familiar voice, looking to see the trio of baboons trotting forward with Saitou in tow and Sannan-san at his side.

She furrowed her brow as she noticed that they were missing a brunette, aside from the fact that both Sannan-san and Saitou were also present was a foreboding sign.

"Where's Souji?" Kawa asked slowly, the crease in her brow deepening.

"That's what we were going to ask. Neither of you have seen him?" Saitou replied, lifting a thin brow behind his raven-black locks that covered his face.

Uneasiness formed in the lowest pit of her gut, seeming to grow with each second. "I stepped out with Ibuki-kun to help him run an errand, but we didn't see him on the streets." She explained.

"We can't find him anywhere; I went to his room to get him for dinner, but he wasn't there!" Heisuke piped up, a likewise crease in his young brow.

"Supposedly, he was walking out with Tonouchi." Saitou spoke up again as he and Sano took a step forward as if to back the younger man up in his claim.

"'Tonouchi'," Ibuki repeated, frowning as well.

"You know him?" Sano asked curiously.

He looked down a little, orange eyes sad. "No… um, actually…" He began, explaining that he'd overheard Serizawa bringing up the fact that he wanted Tonouchi to get rid of Kondou-san.

_So Serizawa-san must've mentioned his name to Souji… shit..._ She looked at the men, scowling. "Where's my brother?"

:::::::x|x:::::::

The air was tense.

She looked at the burning light of the lamp, taking a step forward to go see him.

His hand grabbed her wrist from behind, surprising her; she looked back to see her brother's hard eyes on her slightly surprised gray stare. "Nii-san," she began.

"Let him be, Kawa." He advised.

She perked up at his words, her brow furrowing so her expression matched his own; she yanked her wrist free, scowling. "I told you before, didn't I? It's not his fault. You know it, I know it, and everyone here knows it, too! **Souji can't help it, so** **give it a rest, Toshi**!" Her voice had risen to a shout, slightly surprising the men.

"Kawa-chan," Heisuke began quietly in surprise.

She glared at her brother, turning to storm off to his room with her hands at her sides curled into fists.

"Yasakawa." Toshi's beckon fell on deaf ears.

Kawa's shoulders shook slightly.

:::::::x|x:::::::

He looked at her as she wiped the blood from his face, her eyes trained on the smudged crimson he bore.

She had already put his clothes away to wash, having given him his sleeping robe to wear until they were clean, now tending to cleaning him up and checking to see if he bore any injuries beneath the blood that didn't belong to him.

Most people would think she was foolish to love him even after he had shed blood that wasn't his own, but most people weren't him, and they didn't know that she really did care about his physical well-being as well as mental and emotional.

"You killed him because he threatened to kill Kondou-san," she mused softly, breaching the silence of his darkened room.

He nodded slightly, watching her pull the wet towel from his face to ring it out over the small basin she'd brought forth, faint crimson water cascading into the full basin and tingeing the once-clear water a pastel reddish hue. "You obviously don't hate me for doing it, otherwise you wouldn't be here trying to help." He replied.

She huffed and flashed a bitter smirk. "_Bakkero_, of course I don't hate you. I just… I'm worried, okay?" She exhaled slowly, ringing out the towel again rather harshly this time.

Souji eyed her curiously, tilting his head to one side. "For what?" He knew he'd broken those rules, and maybe that's what she was worried for.

Kawa's eyes darkened as she thought back to the rules her brother had written a few weeks ago, her shoulders shaking again. "I don't want to see you die." She admitted her voice soft.

_Bingo_.

"Your brother obviously don't care, given he wrote those damn rules without giving much thought that they'd catch us in the crosshairs too…"  
The towel smacked him in the face, surprising him.

He blinked; did she just **hit** him?

"Kawa…" He began quietly in surprise after wiping away the water droplets from his brow and face; his stomach lurched and flopped uncomfortably in his gut when he saw tears standing in her eyes.

"Toshi did it to keep that man in check, and you know it! Damn it, Souji…" She croaked, glaring at the wall behind him as tears started to fall down her cheeks slowly. "I don't care what he thinks, I don't care what that man thinks either: I won't let you die on me, Okita Souji, even if it means I lose my life to keep yours safe!" Kawa cried, shutting her eyes tightly as her shoulders shook more in silent sobs and she covered her face with her hands in a vain attempt to keep him from seeing her cry like a toddler.

Souji's eyes saddened at the sight of his lover weeping, reaching to place his hands on her shoulders, noting that that one touch allowed him to pull her closer so she sat in his lap, her face buried into his neck as he held her close, letting her cry.

She finally stopped after what felt like hours, sniffling and lifting herself a little to see he was looking down at her, his face blank; she sniffed again and rubbed her nose gingerly, looking down. "I must look like shit right now…" She muttered.

He brushed locks of black from her forehead gently, shrugging. "Nah, you still look beautiful. You always do, even when you're pissy." He saw her blush before she smiled weakly.

Kawa ran her fingers down his chest absently, resettling into his lap. "What I said, I meant it. Every word." She mused.

Souji stiffened slightly beneath her before his arms around her waist tightened and he burrowed his nose into her hair. "I know you did, and that's partly what pissed me off." He muttered.

She lifted a brow, glancing up at him. "Why?"

"I don't want you to die, you idiot. The last thing I want is for some bastard like that man to lay a hand on you. The second-to-last thing I want is to see you cry. No matter what, I hate seein' you cry, Kawa. So even if one day I'm forced to commit _seppuku_," at this he received a slight growl of distaste and tremble from the woman in his lap, "I don't wanna see you crying over me." He declared.

Kawa buried her face into his neck again, shuddering. "Guess we're both fucked, then." She muttered.

Souji quieted at her guess, smiling a little as his arms tightened protectively around her. "Just shows that we really do love each other." He mused, feeling her shiver again as he blushed at openly admitting that.

_No matter what, I want to stay at your side_, she thought, hugging him tighter out of reflex.

_I'll do what I can to help you, Kondou-san… and I'll do it to protect Kawa, too_, he inwardly vowed, running a hand through her hair.

* * *

**review please; thanks~ ;'D**


	6. Chapter 06

_Hakuouki in its entirety belongs to IDEA Factory; Kawa belongs to me._

* * *

"This place has bad vibes," he mused aloud, shuffling to his feet from sitting across from the older brunette plus bluenette at his back, smirking a little. "I'm gonna take a walk around the area. Neh, you coming, princess?" He wondered, looking at the stoic woman at his side.

She blinked out of her reverie, looking up at him before glancing to Kondou-san and then back at Serizawa, exhaling. "Yeah, let's go." She obliged softly, straightening to walk out of the front room first as he held the door flap open before they took off into the twilit afternoon.

Her mind once again traveled to the earlier incident in the day, that man's words echoing in her ears.

'_You lack resolve to be the villain even when you need to procure funds_.' Her hands lightly fisted at her sides as she saw her brother's facial reaction to his words, gray eyes narrowing.

She didn't want to see that look on his face, not ever. Just who did that man think he was, insulting her brother outright in broad daylight?

"I hate him." She muttered.

Her companion opened an eye at her words, practically feeling the brooding aura emanating from her body as she walked at his side through the streets. "Pretty sure there's a club of people who hate 'im, at this point," he mused aloud.

Nearly starting, she looked at him, almost forgetting that he had invited her out; embarrassed heat flooded her cheeks and made them look pink before she looked away. "I wouldn't doubt it," she mumbled.

Souji smiled to himself at the blush on her cheeks, sliding his hands from the folds of his haori sleeves to tug on the sash at her waist, pulling her to walk closer to him until his arm was around her hips, surprising the pensive Hijikata woman.

Kawa blushed more and then smiled, holding his arm to her hips as they continued walking.

"Do you think Toshi's okay?" She wondered quietly after they'd passed another couple of alleys and were heading to the wharf, stirring him from his thoughts.

He cocked a brow. "What brought that on; I thought you were still pissed at him for that night I killed Tonouchi." He asked in slight confusion.

She shrugged. "I got over it; no matter what we fight about, we're still blood regardless. I'm just worried about him, okay? He doesn't react the same way you do towards that man, but he loathes him just as much as we do." She saw him make a face at comparing him to her brother, smirking gently in teasing.

The scent of the water teased their senses as they neared the bridge.

Kawa's eyes lit up as she saw the familiar sight of Ibuki's berserker blue hair trailing in the opposite direction with a familiar back donning a purple haori in the lead. "Nii-san!" She called happily, seeing both men pause as Souji came to a halt at her side.

Toshi looked to see his sister on the opposite end of the bridge, smiling slightly when she ran towards him, turning fully to greet her. "You two escaped without getting or causing any trouble, I'd imagine." He mused as the couple came to a halt short of a foot away from him and Ibuki.

Souji chuckled and folded his arms behind his head leisurely. "Neh, Hijikata-san, ya never give me the benefit of the doubt; I'm hurt!" He whined.

Kawa jabbed him in the side with a finger, smirking. "Such a drama-king! Nii-san, we were wondering where you'd gotten to." She declared, ignoring the pouting face her lover sent her, smiling innocently.

Ibuki sweatdropped as Toshi rolled his eyes before he exhaled. "Well you found me; did something happen or what?" He wondered, perking her ears.

She hesitated to answer, the cheeky light in her face dimming, as she thought back to earlier before she flashed a light smile. "Nope, nothing at all, just checking on ya!" She replied assuringly.

He frowned slightly, vaguely wondering what had possessed her to find him, but deciding to keep that to himself, exhaling patiently and closing his eyes in the same manner. "Fine, fine." He muttered.

She didn't know why she didn't bring it up to him right then and there; was it because she didn't want to call him out in public, infront of both Souji and Ibuki? Or was it because she felt that he could handle it on his own?

An inward snort at that question: Toshi was not only her older brother, but also the strongest _fukuchou_ between him and Sannan-san.  
Of course he can handle it on his own!

* * *

**_THWACK_**_. "Bakkero!_"

"Ow, that hurt!"

Both of them exhaled patiently before the lankier of the two spoke again. "You actually said that crap to that nice little maiko!? No wonder she gave ya that handprint!" He scolded.

She sweatdropped at the pout-like expression on the bluenette's face, exhaling again. "Normally I would try and cover your ass if the situation were different, but Sano has a point. You're an idiot to stereotype geiko like that, _baka-inu_." She agreed patiently, scritching the back of her head.

"Regardless, let's go." Sano declared, lifting the boy up by the scruff and pulling him into a headlock when he protested. "Neh, Kawa-chan, it'd be best if you decided to retreat home now; this is a man's thing." He looked to the Hijikata woman, seeing her blink when he winked at her.

Kawa pouted sorely. "Fine, but you're not bein' fair…" She remarked with another sigh.

"O-oi, where're we goin'!?" Ibuki flailed.

Sano's arm on his neck tightened reproachfully, "dumbass, you're gonna go apologize to that little lady!" He barked.

She sweatdropped, exhaling for the umpteenth time and turning on her heel to retreat to the compound with her arms behind her head. _Typical chivalrous behemoth, aren't ya, Sano?_ She mused.

::::::o|o::::::

She supposed the boys were off doing their own thing; the training hall was vacant of life.

Slipping inside the empty hall, she flopped down on the cool hardwood floor, sighing quietly.  
_If Katsumoto-sensei didn't take me under his wing at the age of seven, I would be in that girl's shoes, wouldn't I?_ She thought, lifting a hand up in the air, studying the faded and old scars on her right arm, most of them accumulated around her forearm and some even dared to grace the knuckles of her right hand.

Her hand crumpled into a fist and she huffed, closing her eyes as her fisted hand dropped to land gently on her chest. _That'll never happen in a thousand years. I'll never let myself be forced to please some bleeding drunkard_, she inwardly vowed, her brow furrowing softly with the mental promise she made to herself.

Someone made a slight humming noise near her what felt like hours later, rousing her as she hadn't realized she'd gone into a slight nap; her eyes slid open partly to see a familiar head of brick-brown hair hovering over her.

Eyes flying open in surprise, she did the instinctive thing and lifted a hand to smack the intruder right in the front of his face.

Okita Souji deadpanned against her soft palm pressed to his lips and front of his nose, his lips forming into a pout against her hand. "Well good to see you, too," he mused with a sniff.

Kawa pulled her hand off as he rolled off her to sit down at her side as he had that first time they kissed, blushing. "Sorry." She mumbled.

He shrugged aimlessly, flopping down next to her on the cool floor and exhaling, folding his arms behind his head like a pillow. "Coulda done worse. How long've you been in here?" He asked.

She turned on her side, shrugging as well. "Not sure; went out with Sano earlier until we saw Ibuki-kun and he mentioned something about a geiko smacking him in the face for insultin' her." She explained.

He snorted, amusement written in his eyes. "That sure sounds like 'im, _baka-inu_." He mused.

She chuckled. "That's what I said," she quipped.

Both of them laughed quietly.

Kawa thought back to her previous reverie before effectively dozing off, moving closer to snuggle into his side, wrapping her arms around his chest and resting her cheek on his shoulder.

Souji blinked briefly in surprise before his eyes softened at her instinctive need to be in his arms, removing one arm from behind his head to drape it over her shoulders, squeezing affectionately.

"If I was like that, if that was the life I had been dealt, would you still love me?" She wondered quietly, slightly surprising him.

He backtracked to her mention of that geiko before he huffed and pulled her closer. "'Course I would. Though I'd have to kill the bastard who would be your boss; noone can have you except me, remember?" He said thoughtfully, a hint of a grumbled growl in his voice.

Kawa blushed slightly at hearing that noise, smirking softly and shaking her head in the same manner. "You're predictable sometimes, y'know that?" She mused.

Souji pouted, shifting to lie facing her as his free arm draped down to grope her rear on reflex, making her yelp and jump a little in his arms. "Serves ya right," he sniffed, not seeing the pout that adorned her lips and the fresh blush on her cheeks.

* * *

"What's he doing?" He wondered in confusion at seeing the sword swaying a little in the younger brunette's hands, reminiscent of a cat's twitching tail.

He looked beyond the sheet with him. "It's called the 'Wagtail Sword'; he keeps the sword constantly moving so his opponent won't be able to read his moves and know when to strike." He explained.

"Even with the wagging sword, I highly doubt it's possible for him to beat Toshi; Heisuke's good, don't get me wrong, I admire him for that, but against my brother…" She shook her head softly and sighed in a rather patient way. "Either way, this should be interesting." _Even though I have a sinking feeling he's gonna lose regardless_, she inwardly added, looking above Ibuki's head and watching as her brother forced his younger opponent back, the latter lunging at him with a battle cry.

As the round ended –rather quickly by her count, but she digressed, with her brother as the victor, she watched as both Saitou and Shinpachi took their places opposite each other in the center of the courtyard.

"Dang it, that was a close match…" Heisuke grumbled as he slunk under the sheet to join his friends behind the covering, earning the trio's attention.

"Oi, Heisuke…" Sano began to berate him for losing before seeing the injury he had obtained, quieting reluctantly and smiling sheepishly. "Never mind… great match!" He offered.

Kawa looked at what had stopped his scolding and snorted, looking away and covering her mouth to hide a giggle, the image of Heisuke sporting a shiner on his right eye forever embedded in her mind.

"Neh, what's so funny, Kawa-chan?" The aforementioned brunette pouted at the woman's giggling form.

"N-nothing, Heisuke!" She wheezed, covering her mouth with both hands and closing her eyes tight.

The bluenette sweatdropped from standing next to her. _Geez, Kawa-chan_, he thought.

Hollow '_thwacks_' sounded as the two new combatants fought, _shinai_ clashing and humming in the air.

"Go, Saitou-kun!" Kawa beamed, smirking widely when he and Shinpachi went for the final blow, a wide grin replacing the smirk as Saitou surpassed Shinpachi as he had done to Souji long ago (or so it seemed to her).

Sano elbowed her, "save those cheers, princess, your man is coming up next." He teased gently.

Kawa punched him reproachfully, the wide grin still in place. "I know, that's why I'm excited." She replied.

Both men came to retreat behind the sheet with their friends as Sannan-san and Souji went to the middle of the courtyard with their _shinai_ in hand.

"Saitou-kun, that was epic!" She declared, throwing her arms around his neck and making the stoic man blink in surprise before she pulled away as quickly as the embrace had come, smiling innocently at his baffled blue stare.

Heat threatened to color his cheeks red at having come into such close proximity to the opposite sex, looking at the innocent smile on her lips before his eyes calmed and he smiled, nodding his head. "Thank you for your kind words, Kawa-chan." He replied.

"Oi, Kawa-chan, Souji's match is started!" Shinpachi announced, perking her ears.

Kawa looked around the other sheet to see the final match had started, watching the _shinai_ bob softly in the air in Sannan-san's grip, smirking to herself.

Normally that move would confound any other man that was his opponent, but given that Souji was his chosen adversary, as well as the fact that said brunette was the sharpest sword in the bunch when it came to a match… The smirk on her full lips threatened to spread into a wide grin.

Even though she knew there was no way in hell her brother would dare let her enter a competition like this because she was a woman as well as the fact that the audience was the Aizu Domain's general, she felt jealous of her friends and Souji for being allowed to partake in this… And she was dying to fight something.

::::::o|o::::::

"Thanks to all of you, the Aizu Lieutenant General gave us wonderful words of praise: and for that, we're partying tonight so drink all you want!" Kondou-san announced to the room at large.

Applause greeted his announcement as the room became filled with giddiness and excitement as the occupants delved into both their meals and the booze.

Kawa took the bottle from her brother's tray, making him blink.

His brow furrowed. "What's that for?" He asked.

She exhaled. "A little birdy told me you can't hold your liquor, so it's best to pass it on to the next generation. Waste not, want not, neh?" She flashed a cheeky smile at his pouting face, pouring herself a shot and passing the bottle down to Souji who sat dutifully at her right.

Toshi grumbled something under his breath and delved back into his food.

"Oi, oi, isn't that bad for a warrior who speaks of politics?" A slurred voice on the other end of the room earned a look from both siblings as they saw it was Heisuke who spoke.

An equally-drunk Shinpachi guffawed at his words. "Neh, dude, ya sound just like Niimi-san!" He exclaimed as he and Heisuke laughed.

Kawa rolled her eyes patiently, sipping the sake from her cup. "Sheesh," she mumbled.

Souji slung his arm around her shoulders, squeezing. "Quit frownin', babe; it never suited ya." He purred, burying his face into her nape and kissing the skin lightly.

Blush flared on her cheeks, staining them red; she briefly stole a look around to see the men were occupied with becoming further intoxicated, inwardly sighing before she felt his teeth nibble on the curve of her neck. "S-Souji, easy," she chided.

He chuckled softly against her nape, nipping the skin a second time to make sure he left a visible-enough hickey on her skin, before he nosed the spot affectionately. "Damn it, you look gorgeous tonight, Kawa-chan," he purred again, the sake slowly starting to settle in on his senses as he valiantly fought the onslaught, pulling back before he got serious and actually ended up dragging her to bed, his green eyes hungry and hazy.

She trembled at the familiar darkening of his eyes, looking away awkwardly as she distinctly felt something akin to a fire kindling inside the lowest pit of her stomach when recalling his hungry stare and his love-bites, rubbing her neck absently.

Sensing he had weirded her out, Souji leaned in again to pull her close, looking as if he was whispering something in her ear even though he was kissing her temple gently. "This might be the sake talkin', but I really do want you. I won't take it from ya, though; I'm not like other guys." He promised softly, his hand around her ribs squeezing as if to silently amend his promise.

Kawa trembled again, resting her temple against his lips, nodding. "I know you don't lie, 'specially not to me; and I… I want you, too. So much." She looked up at him beneath black lashes, gray eyes warm and soft like melted silver. "Thank you for respecting me, Souji." She added gently.

He distinctly felt that space in his lower regions harden at that look in her eyes; if it didn't look suspicious, then for the love of fuck he would drag her off to his bed right now.

But no, Kawa was different: she wasn't like the other girls he'd had in the past, she wasn't just some girl he'd have fun with for one night, and she sure as hell wasn't a girl he wanted to hurt.

She was the one he loved, she was the one he would die for… _and she was his alone_.

::::::o|o:::::::

"In order to have the Roshigumi's fame spread throughout Kyoto, Serizawa-sensei had these made with the money he collected in Osaka." Niimi announced.

Heisuke was ecstatic, "alright, let's try these on; Gen-san, get me the scissors to cut the tape off!" He barked as he held up one of the new coats in pride and excitement.

_So I'm allowed to wear one of these, then, since that man hasn't barked anythin'_, she mused as she took the tag off her own coat with the concealed knife she kept on her person, looking at the coat in her hands and studying it.

The coat was colored a sky blue with white triangle-designs embroidered on the wide sleeves, twin white tethers criss-crossing over the front of the over-coat.

Kawa shrugged it on, pulling her arms through the wide sleeves and looking at it to see it fit her well; she smiled to herself, turning this way and that in place as she admired it.

"Damn, you look gorgeous, Kawa-chan!" She nearly jumped and looked to see Sano smirking at her with one of the coats in hand, gold eyes teasing.

"Neh, Sano-san, quit pesterin' my woman," Souji teased, coming to stand next to his friend and look her over before he whistled lowly in appreciation. "Hmm well ya weren't entirely far off the mark, Sano-san; ya look beautiful, babe." He grinned gently.

Kawa blushed again and huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Shut up, both of you." She growled.

"Honestly, sometimes I wonder if you two were this mischievous at the age of ten," Saitou defended calmly as he came forward to stand near the girl, a patient look on his stoic features.

Souji's eye twitched in annoyance at his friend's intrusion.

"This is one of the ways we can spread the Roshigumi's fame throughout Kyoto; besides, if we're all in the same uniform when we're out on patrol, there's less chance for one of us to get cut down in the streets." Toshi declared with a smirk as he looked at the quartet.

Kawa smiled at him and huffed, folding her arms behind her head leisurely. "S' about time," she jibed.

* * *

**review please; thanks~ ;')**


	7. Chapter 07

_Hakuouki in its entirety belongs to IDEA Factory; Kawa belongs to me._

* * *

That pained scream rang in her ears; she furrowed her brow, her hand on the hilt of her katana.

"You'll only get in the way if you follow us; let's move, princess," her lover pointed out to the bluenette, dragging her in by the grip he had on her hand.

She spared the aforementioned boy a brief smile before following his lead.

The slightly panicked tone in her brother's voice hummed in her ears even as they ran into the long corridor to corner the creature that had created that noise; she drew her katana as she stood at his back, gripping the hilt.

Whatever it was, it was definitely not human.

A pair of gleaming red eyes skidded to a halt at the opposite end of the corridor, slightly surprising her.

"Humans don't move like that." He muttered, lifting the katana in his hand up so the blade was next to his face before the creature hurtled forward at them.

In a flurry of movement, the creature had knocked him into one of the spare rooms with a loud growl.

"Souji!" Kawa lunged, yelping when the creature sent a foot careening into her jaw, making her fly back.

"Bastard!" A glint of moonlight shined and Saitou had severed the arm wielding the sword.

Her head spun as the creature bounded away outside with the arm clutched in his jaws; "Kawa," the brunette helped her to her feet, looking at her concernedly.

She shook her head and scowled where the creature had been. "Let's move," she growled, sprinting out after it with Souji at her heels.  
A loud crash sounded when it made it outside, having run into both Sano and Ibuki after knocking Shinpachi out with it.

"Shit," she growled, perking up as the creature lunged at Sano; her eyes sharpened when he stabbed the creature's good arm with the spear, said enemy lifting him up by the blunt end of the spear and knocking him away. "Sano!" She sprinted past Souji's side, her katana's blade glancing off the creature's short sword.

"Kawa, get away from him!" Saitou barked.

Kawa glared at the creature's red eyes, lunging and swinging at his head, being blocked as it swiped at her, grazing her left shoulder; she grimaced and drew back, lifting her right hand to grip the bleeding cut gingerly.

Its head snapped up at the scent of fresh blood, the red gleam brightening as its eyes were set on the woman wielding the katana. "Blood… give me blood!" It snarled, lunging at her.

"**Get away from her**!" Souji flew at him as a blur of purple came onto the scene.

A katana's blade stabbed into the creature's right lung as a second katana's blade stabbed into its heart as a hand gripped the creature's hairline tightly.

Kawa's eyes widened slightly at the perpetrators. "Nii-san," she murmured.

Souji yanked his blade out as the creature sputtered and fell face forward when Toshi yanked his blade free and released the hairline, a muffled 'thud' sounding.

Toshi looked at his sister, at the blood that trickled down her left shoulder down to her wrist, her gray eyes slightly widened in surprise as her black hair had been loosened to flow freely down her back; his eyes softened in relief to see that she had remained unscathed. "Are you alright, Kawa?" He asked.

Kawa nodded, smiling at him. "Yeah."

"Hijikata-san, what about the monster?" Sano asked, stirring their attention away.

Souji went to her side and wrapped an arm around her waist reflexively, pulling her to his chest with a sigh.  
"It's alright." He declared quietly.

"Supposedly you can kill it by either beheading it or stabbing it in the heart." Sannan-san informed as he and Kondou-san entered the courtyard.

"Is everyone alright?" Kondou-san asked of the men –plus Kawa—gathered.

"Kondou-san," Souji smiled in slight relief.

Toshi sheathed his katana, scowling over his shoulder at the trembling bluenette. "If you lack any real resolve, don't waltz onto a battlefield like that." He scolded, looking at his sister again as she rubbed her arm gingerly.

Kawa frowned softly at his words, leaning her cheek against Souji's neck and feeling him squeeze her waist gently in response.

::::::x|x::::::

She pouted slightly at him as he insisted on sitting close to her, looking at the white bandage that wrapped around her injured shoulder and exhaling.

"The Bakufu obtained this through foreign trade. This medicine is called 'Ochimizu'; if you drink this, your abilities in battle will substantially increase. But at the same time, you'll obtain remarkable healing abilities… but on the downside, you'll lose the power of thought and your sanity." The bald man named Yukimura Kodou informed the room at large.

Her eyes registered on the small vial of red liquid placed before them and her brow furrowed; _I have a bad feeling about that medicine_, she thought.

"Meanin' that it isn't filled with perks, huh?" That man wondered gruffly, to which the bald man nodded.

"Yes, to top it off, they can only exercise those powers in the dark. We call those who possess those powers and exhibit those abilities 'Rasetsu'." Yukimura-san replied.

_Even the name sounds bad_, she mused, the crease in her brow deepening.

"I remember that guy, now; his name was Iesato!" Sano piped up in recognition, looking at Shinpachi and then at Toshi.

"'Iesato'…? Hang on, didn't he come with us from Edo?" Heisuke chirped, looking up alertly.

"You used one of our guys to test out that batshit-crazy medicine!?" Shinpachi snapped, glaring at both Serizawa and Yukimura.

"Bastard," Kawa hissed, glaring at that man's beady gray eyes that looked passive, bristling.

"He was supposed to slice open his gut for breaking the code." Niimi spoke up calmly, smirking a little at the frustration in their faces. "It's the same punishment."

"_The hell it is!_" Both Shinpachi and Kawa snarled in chorus.

"He didn't get to die by _seppuku_, that's the only difference!" Serizawa defended sharply.

Kawa bristled again and glowered at him. "So you let him rot in madness? What the fuck kind of sentence is that!?" She nearly shouted.

"Yasakawa, that's enough." Toshi snapped, making her cringe at his sharp tone; she quieted reluctantly and looked down, her hands in her lap fisting and shaking a little. "_Hai_, nii-san." She mumbled. "Serizawa-san, I'm against using this medicine; when Iesato changed, he barely recognized us at all!" He added to that man.

Kondou looked over at said man, "I agree with Toshi."

"But according to Yukimura-dono, there's still plenty of improvement to make." Niimi countered.

Kawa glared at him as Toshi also glared, "yeah and to test it out, that means you'll have to use another person!" He snapped.

"The Bakufu ordered this!" Niimi snarled.

"There's no need to obey an unreasonable order." Toshi growled.

Serizawa spoke up again, looking smug and arrogant enough to the point where she wanted to get up and punch him in his wrinkled-dog face, "Generally, a warrior considers obeying orders from the Bakufu to be a blessing, even if they're unreasonable." He stated.

"Serizawa-san, you…" Toshi began angrily.

That man smirked. "But then again, I wouldn't expect one not born into a warrior family to understand." He drawled.

Her fists shook again; she jerked away from his side to straighten to her feet, heading to the door before she could voice something that would cost her.

"Neh, did we say something that _displeased_ you, Yasakawa?" That man drawled, making her pause in opening the door.

_There's a lot that displeased me, you cheap fuck_, she thought, stifling a growl with clearing her throat; she looked over her shoulder at him, glancing at her brother's tensed face that looked as if he didn't want her to say anything else as well as the fact that he wanted her to let it go.

So instead of spouting a cheeky remark, Kawa forced a kind smile. "Nothing at all, I'm just a little tired." She lied easily, opening the door and stepping out of the meeting room, closing it behind her exit.

Toshi glared at Serizawa as Souji also sent him a cold glare before they let it drop (reluctantly).

:::::::x|x:::::::

A light knock sounded on the door. "Nii-san?"

He briefly raised a brow at the sudden visit. "It's open." He replied, seeing his sister open the door from the courtyard and noting that she'd changed into her sleeping robe, keeping her hair down.

She blinked at seeing Inoue-san having already been talking with him before she smiled sheepishly. "Inoue-san, sorry I didn't know you two were in the middle of something. I'll just talk with you tomorrow morning, Toshi," she laughed weakly, lifting a hand to rub her neck before turning to exit into the darkness.

"Yasakawa-kun, it's alright!" He saw her blink again and look back at his words; he smiled kindly at the surprised expression on her pretty face. "We were just done talking, anyway, and it's late so I'll take my leave." He shuffled to his feet and smiled again at both siblings before exiting through the back-hallway. "Goodnight."

_Bless him, Inoue-san_, she thought, exhaling. "I wasn't interrupting anything major, was I?" She wondered, looking at his violet eyes.

"Nah, we were just talking. To be honest, I was almost afraid I'd have to go visit you instead of the other way around." He shrugged sheepishly, watching her close the door and retreat to shuffle and sit before him.

She smiled in the same manner, looking down at her lap. "Toshi, about earlier." She bowed her head in apology, seeming to baffle him if only for a moment. "I'm sorry for my actions. And I wanted to thank you for cutting down that Rasetsu before it could get me instead." She declared quietly, straightening a little to look at him and smile meekly.

His face softened and he huffed quietly, shrugging again. "You're my little sister; it's my job to protect you, even when you act more bull-headed than me." Her cheeks colored pink at that comment before she smiled weakly. "But to what happened earlier, why did you walk away?" He asked, perking her ears.

Kawa lowered her gaze to the hands in her lap, seeing they had curled into fists on reflex and were shaking slightly; she slid her eyes closed and huffed. "You already despise that man, and if I said anything else, it would make him and his ass-kissers think you and I were plotting something against him. Besides, if I did say something when he insulted you, it probably would've been for him to stay still so my blade could rip his throat out." She mused, smirking softly at the thought of ripping that man's throat to shreds.

Toshi cocked a brow before he let her explanation soak in, huffing as well and crossing his arms in the sleeves of his haori. "I had a feeling that's why you left. Look, Kawa, you're not the only one who got pissed when he said that…" He began.

"I know you felt the same as I did, brother. That's why I loathe that man. I hate him, I hate that he insults you, I hate that he puts shit into Souji's head…" She gritted her teeth, shutting her eyes tighter. "Most of all, you're my big brother, and I can't stand it when a bastard like him dares insult not just you but our father, too!" Kawa ground out, opening her eyes partly to glare at the tatami beneath her.

"If our fate wasn't bound to whatever he does to get us to power, I'd gladly kill him. Now especially that he started on that damn medicine," Toshi mused.

She nodded and frowned softly, lifting her stare to meet his with a determined light. "No matter what, I swear that I'm gonna get stronger so that I can defend your honor, Toshi." She promised.

His eyes widened slightly at her promise before his face softened again and he nodded, lifting a hand to tousle her black hair. "You're growing up after all." He mused.

Her cheeks colored slightly before she smiled softly, nodding as well and sliding her eyes closed calmly. "Living with you and the boys for as long as I have has made me grow up, what can I say?" She shrugged.

Toshi chuckled quietly, pushing her bangs back absently and seeing her open an eye up at him and pout at his gesture. "Keep hanging around Souji and that might change," he pointed out.

Kawa grumbled under her breath and punted his hand off, rearing back on her knees and crossing her arms. "Piss off; at least he's a good man." She sniffed, blushing at the same time.

He smirked at ruffling her feathers, rolling his eyes. "Not that I'm against it, but I'm surprised he decided to stay with you instead of being…" He paused for the right word.

"Lecherous? A womanizer?" She deadpanned.

"All of the above." He nodded.

She lifted a hand to rub the back of her neck absently. "I'm as surprised as you, nii-san; I imagine he's had his fair share of girls chasing him and vice-versa, but in all honesty, I'm flattered that he's stayed loyal to just one woman since you took me in." She looked at him and smiled softly in thought of that cocky brunette.

He nodded again and blinked as he seemed to remember it was late. "Shouldn't you get to bed? It's already late." He pointed out, seeing her blink.

Kawa pouted slightly and sighed, nodding. "Yeah, you're right, regrettably." She straightened to her feet, pausing short of leaving when seeing the letter on his desk; she tilted her head to one side. "Who sent you the love letter?" She wondered, a teasing smirk playing at her lips.

Toshi made a face and snorted, hearing her snicker as he looked away. "My older sister, Toku." He replied.

She blinked again before her face softened, feeling slightly envious that he still had family even if it wasn't related to her directly. "She must worry over her kid brother, if she writes to you." She mused.

He noted the softened expression on her face and nodded, shrugging. "She does, as well as warns me not to lose my temper and pick fights with the men." He replied.

Kawa snorted, doing her best to hide a giggle when he pouted at her. "Too late for that last part." She smiled cheekily.

Toshi scowled as a vein twitched on his brow. "Go to bed, Yasakawa." He ground out.

She giggled and smiled again, poking his forehead with a finger before showing herself out. "Yeah, yeah; 'night, Mr. Hot-head." She waved airily.

He scowled again, sighing when she closed the door and disappeared down the porch to her room. "Great, now there's two of them… Shit." He grumbled.

* * *

She groaned. "Why can't I go?" She whined, looking up at him.

"Because your shoulder is still on the mend; besides, Kondou-san felt it would be easier on Souji to let you stay here while he and the others go to Osaka." He replied.

Kawa pouted again, huffing and crossing her arms at her chest. "My shoulder is friggin' fine, it's you lot who're worrying over a girl…" She grated.

Toshi rolled his eyes and planted a hand on her head, ruffling her hair and making her growl on reflex. "That's a man's job, smart one. Souji would maim me if anything happened to you, anyway." He remarked patiently.

"Damn straight, there." A lanky arm slung around her hips as he removed his hand, making her squeak slightly at being pulled to his chest.

She blushed and pouted up at him, seeing him smile cheekily, before she huffed and smacked his chest gently. "I'm still jealous that you get to go to Osaka, but that just means you owe me when you get back." She wagered, looking at him warningly.

Souji rolled his eyes and smirked widely, running a hand through her hair. "And I'll gladly pay off that debt as soon as possible. Stay safe, okay, princess?" He purred, making her blush more, kissing her forehead.

Kawa shivered slightly in his arms and nodded. "Don't get too sword-happy over there. I'll have to kick your ass before my brother would get the chance to." She rebutted, feeling him squeeze her hips.

He laughed softly. "I've been warned." He kissed her hard, making her tremble slightly, before she kissed back gently, pulling away reluctantly to kiss her forehead a second time.

She smiled warmly when he squeezed again before letting go, waving when they departed and watching him wave back.  
_Don't lose your cool over there, whatever you do_, she inwardly prayed, looking at the blue color of the sky and smiling a little.

::::::x|x:::::::

**_THWACK_**.

"**Ow**!" He yelped, rubbing his head gingerly.

She sweatdropped and smiled patiently at the bluenette, perking up at hearing Kondou-san's voice and smiling brightly; she hurried past him to go greet the men.

"Neh, Shinpatsu, was there any luck?" The youngest brunette asked before blinking as she brushed past him to throw her arms around the green-eyed brunette.

He caught her skillfully with a quiet groan, smiling in relief at seeing her present and intact as he held her tight and she nuzzled into his neck.

She smiled up at him, blinking as she noticed the rest of the men were strangely silent, shrugging out of his arms to look at them confusedly. "What happened; Saitou-kun?" She asked quietly, looking from him to the pissed Kondou-san and then to Souji, her brow furrowing in concern.

* * *

**review please; thanks~ ;'D**


	8. Chapter 08

_Hakuouki in its entirety is copyright to IDEA Factory; Kawa belongs to me._

_**edit: short, chapter is short. /bows apologetically_

* * *

"I don't give a shit about your excuses! So what if they picked a fight: why the hell did you draw your blade against unarmed men!?" He snarled.

She scowled at the bushes beyond them, her hands balled into fists at her sides. There was no doubt about it: she would murder that old sod, even if she died trying!

"Then I'll be the one to split open my gut for disobeying the way of the warrior." He mused calmly.

Everyone's head shot up at his words; her eyes widened alertly.

"Souji…" She whispered.

"Souji, what's gotten into you!? This's no time for jokes!" Shinpachi snapped, hopping up to grab his shoulder and shake him a little.

"What joke? I'm dead serious, Shinpatsu." Souji replied in the same calm voice.

Her fists at her sides were shaking as she grit her teeth.

"**ENOUGH**, Souji!" Toshi shouted, glaring at his passive green stare. "Spilling your guts isn't gonna solve this problem!" He snarled, turning on his heel to storm away inside.

The rest of the men watched him leave.

Souji quieted and looked at the strangely silent woman near him. "Kawa," he began.

**_FWHACK_**.

Surprise registered on the men's faces, particularly on the brunette with the fresh handprint on his left cheek.  
He staggered back, looking at her in slight shock. "K-Kawa…" He managed.

Tears started to gather in her eyes as she valiantly fought the urge to sob infront of everyone. "Didn't my words sink into that thick head of yours last time!? I don't want you to die, Souji! Not ever, and especially not because that man is driving you mad!" She cried, glaring at him as her fists shook, the tremors reaching up to her shoulders.

He felt like the slap-mark had burned his face like a hot poker as he saw the tears begin to show in her eyes. "Kawa," he began to step closer to her.

She glared at him before turning on her heel to storm away to her room.

"Kawa!" He barked, making to go after her before a hand was placed on his shoulder, surprising him; he looked to see a pair of light brown eyes meet his green stare. "Kondou-san," he began.

"Let her go, Souji. She needs to cool off." He advised calmly.

Souji scowled slightly before he jerked his gaze away to where she had stood, the scowl shifting into a frown. _Kawa_, he thought.

:::::::o|o:::::::

Crickets chirped in the courtyard.

He silently snuck to her room, doing his best to not wake anyone else up.

Tension was in the air, mostly radiating from that man's section of the compound, so he ignored it as best as he could.

He felt like he was still in hot water with her.  
Of course that slap did kind of hurt; he was lucky she hadn't hit him with her scabbard.

He was such an idiot, making her cry like that. He'd promised himself to not make her cry and what the fuck did he do? Damn it all was he an idiot.

He paused short of her door, lifting a hand to knock before he paused short of doing as such.

If she was still pissy like earlier, which –given she had Hijikata-san's temper—she prolly was, then knocking wouldn't be an option.  
So he tried option two: sneak inside.

Doing his best to open the door as quiet as possible, he slipped inside her room to see she had her back to the door, sleeping soundly.  
_Idiot, ya should know better by now to not sleep with your back to the door_, he mentally chided, smiling to himself at accomplishing entering her room, moving closer to her bedside.

Before his backside could hit the tatami beneath him, a glint of moonlight appeared out of the corner of his eye; he froze in mid-crouch, green eyes going cross-eyed at seeing the tip of a concealed knife staring him right between the eyes.

Kawa glared at him, sleep gone from her gray eyes that were as steely as her katana's blade, the handle of her knife held tight in hand.

Souji blinked once before he put on a cheesy smile. "Ohaiyo…"

"Tell me why you're here before I kick your ass out of my room." Her voice was in approximation to a growl, her gray eyes almost looking silver in the moonlight.

He dropped the cheery attitude and quietly sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I came to check on you, but seeing that you woulda slammed the door on me if I'd knocked, I decided to sneak in." He declared.

She lowered the knife and put it down next to her futon, sitting forward to rub her eyes gingerly with the side of her hand. "Geez, Souji…" She groaned.

He smiled dryly as he sat down before her, placing his hands on his calves. "Well at least you're not so pissed that you won't say my name." He mused.

"Just because I slapped you doesn't mean I don't love you, dumbass." Kawa grated, tucking a few locks of black hair behind her right ear as she looked at him.

Souji felt his eye twitch. "Then why in the fuggin' hell did you slap me? That hurt."

She valiantly fought a snort at his cute expression, looking away from his penetrating green orbs and down at her lap covered by the blankets. "From what Sannan-san said about what went down in Osaka, both you and that man were responsible for cutting down the sumo, so since that man wasn't there for me to run my blade through his black heart, that's where you come in." She mused.

His left brow twitched in annoyance. "I swear I'm gonna kill that fucking bastard." He growled.

"So long as I get to rip his heart out." She wagered.

Souji quieted, looking at her downcast gaze and exhaling. "Deal."

Kawa nodded, keeping her eyes down. "Is that all you wanted to talk about…?" The answer to her question came when he took her face in his slightly-calloused hands and pulled her in for a deep kiss.

_Souji_… Her face flared red in surprise before her shoulders slackened and she lifted her hands to bunch in his brown hair, holding him there.

She had been pissed, she wouldn't deny that. But her love for him outweighed the anger a hundred times fold; her fingers lowered to cling to his neck as that familiar prickle of tears began in the corner of her eyes.

He caught the slight dampening of her cheeks and opened an eye to see she was weeping; he gingerly pulled away, making her moan in both anguish and regret, looking at her concernedly as she kept her eyes closed and looked away. "Kawa," he murmured, cupping her cheeks gently. "Kawa, what's wrong?" He asked softly, seeing the tears regain their strength and race down her cheeks slowly.

Her eyes were puffy and slightly red when she opened them to look at his green eyes that showed worry, worry for if he'd hurt her again or if she was upset about something. "Just hold me." She croaked.

Not taking a second to hesitate, Souji pulled her into his arms so she snuggled into his lap, holding her protectively to his chest as he let her cry. He ran his fingers through her black hair, the tip of his nose in her locks, as he wondered what he had done and how badly he had hurt her to make her cry like this.

It was then that he, Okita Souji, made a promise to himself to never make the woman he loved so much, cry.

"I don't hate you, okay? I love you too much to ever bring myself to hate you, no matter how many men you kill. I just… I'm tired of this, I'm tired of all this bullshit-business that man has put us through, and I know that if it weren't for you or Toshi, I'd throttle him in his sleep and bury him at the bottom of the river. Whatever he says or does in the future, please, don't forget your sanity. Don't forget me, okay? Promise me that, Souji." Kawa hoarsely pleaded, keeping her eyes on the fabric of his red haori.

Souji's eyes widened a little at her plea before he soaked it in and nodded, squeezing gently. "I promise. I'm sorry I made you cry, earlier. I felt like such a fuggin' idiot for breaking that one promise to you; I'm an idiot for making the woman I love cry." He replied softly.

She nodded, nuzzling into his neck. "You're an idiot, all right… but you're my idiot. Always will be." She murmured.

He smiled and chuckled softly, planting a tender kiss on her head. "I can handle that." He mused.

Kawa smiled as well, closing her eyes. "Souji?"

"Hn?" Souji wondered, tucking a few locks behind her left ear.

"Will you stay with me for the night?" She asked quietly.

He smiled again and nodded. "Gladly." He replied in the same tone.

* * *

**review please; thanks~ ;')**


	9. Chapter 09

_Hakuouki in its entirety belongs to IDEA Factory/ Yone Kazuki-sensei; Kawa belongs to me._

_**edit: short, chapter is short. /bows apologetically_

* * *

He glanced back at her as she lounged on the steps. "So you two made up, then." He guessed, perking her ears.

She nodded, stretching her arms to the sky and yawning. "Yeah, we did. Not that he's gonna be a behaved puppy nowadays, knowing him." She shrugged innocently and smirked.

He smirked as well, his blue eyes looking to the men training before them, their _shinai_ swinging up and down in the air.

"Oi, Hajime-kun!" They both looked up to see Heisuke trotting forward; he smiled lightly at them. "S' time for our patrol to start." He announced.

Saitou nodded and ended the training session, lifting a brow as Heisuke tossed a blue package to Kawa and pausing in retrieving his own from his room. "You're not serious..." He muttered.

Kawa shrugged her arms through the sleeves of the uniform coat, looking at him and smirking again. "Dead serious. Gotta let a bird spread its wings, right?" She replied with an innocent smile.

_Not if the companion of said bird gets killed by the bird's older brother_, he deadpanned. "Did Hijikata-san approve of you going out?" He asked.

She nodded, hopping from the steps to join Heisuke at his side. "Yeah, though he mostly said I was allowed with Souji's squad, but I talked him into letting me go with you and Heisuke." She replied, winking and fixing the headband on her head by the white ribbon, tying it behind her ponytail.

Saitou ran a hand through his hair, his patience beginning to wane. "I'd rather not know how that happened…" He muttered.

"Neh ya might as well let her come with, Hajime-kun; y'know Kawa-chan's as stubborn as Hijikata-san." Heisuke chimed lightly, further causing the ever-patient Saitou Hajime to deadpan again.

"Fine, fine." Saitou amended, ending the conversation, and going to get his things.

Kawa cuffed the younger captain over the head. "Oi, oi, what was with that 'stubborn as Hijikata-san' crap? Don't lump me together with my brother," she grated, pouting as he rubbed his head gingerly.

Heisuke returned the pout, teal eyes grimacing in slight pain. "W-well it's true!" He stammered.

"You two do look identical, especially when you wear your hair in that ponytail. The only difference is your eye color." Saitou chimed as he returned shortly, having donned the coat and headband, looking at the girl and smirking.

Kawa's cheeks colored pink and she snorted, looking away. "Piss off, Mr. Perfect." She ground out as he walked ahead of her to the front of the line, following him with Heisuke in tow.

Pleased at effectively shutting her up, Saitou led them out into the busy streets of Kyoto.

:::::::o|o::::::::

Her brow furrowed.

"I heard they put a ronin's head on display."

"In Osaka, right?"

"They frighten me!"

"Those damn Mibu Wolves."

She glanced at the boy to see him lower his head, a frown on his young brow.  
"Why I aughta…" She muttered, perking up as the stoic captain nudged her, looking at him. "Saitou-kun?"

"Let it be. You know as well as I that what they say is just gossip." He quieted the retort she made to fire, seeing her open her mouth and then close it.

Kawa nodded, looking at the crestfallen Heisuke and placing an arm around his shoulders. "It's nothing, Heisuke, ya know that." She assured gently.

He looked up at her and saw the almost-sisterly way she looked at him and nodded, smiling faintly. "Yeah, you're right." He mumbled, trying to brush it off.

She smiled kindly, looking about and lowering her gaze.

'_Wolves of Mibu_', were they?

* * *

"Sorry for the mess; we ran into some ronin claiming to use the Roshigumi name to borrow money. It turned into a swordfight, but they got away." He apologized calmly, perking up as his sister dabbed a piece of cloth into the water bucket and rung it out, helping him get the stains off.

She scowled patiently at him. "_Bakkero_, ya should've taken more of us with you; that many ronin against you and Sannan-san is risky." She scolded, scrubbing rather roughly on one particular smudge of crimson on his left cheek.

He made a face and gently pushed her off, lowering her hand. "As flattering as that is, risking your neck isn't something I want to do before I die." He remarked, seeing her shudder slightly before she scowled again and jerked her hand away on reflex, rocking back onto her heels.

"Neh, it's unusual for you and Sannan-san to let someone get away, Hijikata-san." Souji piped up from leaning against the doorway, his arms folded.

"They had a large group of comrades hanging nearby so it was inevitable we let them go." Sannan-san defended.

Kawa sighed and handed the cloth to her brother, straightening to her feet. "The positive thing is that you two are back and intact, with no injuries. Otherwise I'd have to kill the fucker who pulled that technical-ambush on you." She mused, folding her arms over her ample bust.

Souji smirked at her. "Neh, aren't you being the over-protective little sister, babe." He teased; she blushed slightly and smirked back.

"So there're guys using our name to get money, huh?" Sano wondered.

Shinpachi huffed softly, "yeah and until just recently they were calling themselves Imperial Loyalists."

"That just goes to show how far the Roshigumi's poor reputation has spread." Sannan-san mused.

"Think putting that head on display had the opposite affect we wanted?" Heisuke dared wonder.

Souji huffed. "That man really has been outta hand lately, hasn't he?"

"If the Roshigumi's reputation is poor, then it could injure the Aizu Domain's good name. We can't allow things to continue as they have." Sannan-san stated, standing to his feet.

Kawa huffed. "No offense, but that's easier said than done, with that man spearheading the Roshigumi into the ground." She grated, rubbing her neck absently.

* * *

**review please; thanks~ ;'3**


	10. Chapter 10

_Hakuouki in its entirety belongs to IDEA Factory/ Yone Kazuki-sensei; Kawa belongs to me._

_**edit: combining my take(s) on eps 9&10 in the anime in this chap. just an FYI. enjoy~_

* * *

"Cur, you do it." He growled.

She slipped past her brother and Kondou-san into the room, kneeling to help the bluenette up. "Ibuki-kun, are you okay?" She asked concernedly, looking at the busted lip and swollen cheek he donned.

He grimaced and reached for a red comb that had fallen out of his clothes, putting it back before she could see.

"That is your punishment for opposing your master." He ground out.

She glared up at him. "Serizawa-san, **that's enough**! These women didn't do shit, and you're not in your right frame of mind…" She began to explain as she stood infront of the boy defensively.

"Keep your mouth shut, you damn whore." He snarled, swinging a hand at her.

She caught it quickly in her right hand, gritting her teeth and growling. "_Leave Ibuki-kun be_." She spat, shoving him back roughly.

"T-to hell with that… There's no way I'll ever do that!" He exclaimed, perking her ears.  
Her gray eyes softened slightly. _It's about time you grow a backbone_, she mused.

**_FWHACK_**.

"Kawa-chan!"

She spat out blood, her head slightly spinning from being knocked down by the mere slap of that man's hand, pain radiating up and down the right side of her pretty face.

"Yasakawa!" Her brother rounded on the behemoth man, anger blazing in his steely violet eyes at seeing that man strike his sister.

"Toshi, it's okay." She promised quietly, perking his ears and making him look to see her stagger to her feet; she smiled at him, her cheek slightly swollen and a wry look crossing her eyes and pretty face.

"**Souji**," he beckoned sharply, to which the brunette slipped inside and took one look at her face before his green eyes turned hard and he ushered her out of the room with his arm around her waist.

:::::::x|x:::::::

"Ow." She winced slightly as she touched her cheek.

He made a face. "Don't touch it, Yamazaki-san said not to, remember?" He scolded, perking her ears.

She sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I know. Sorry." She mumbled sheepishly.

"So how's the spitfire?" Both of them looked up to see her brother standing in the doorway, arms folded across his chest.  
Her eyes softened and she smiled. "It's not as swollen as the other day." She offered.

His shoulders slumped slightly and he nodded, smiling a little. "I'm glad, though you took a good hit. But I'm glad you're doing better." He mused, his eyes tightening as he recalled the image of that overgrown bastard slapping her across the face.

The brunette snorted. "Speak for yerself, Hijikata-san, that man's just lucky I didn't run him through on the spot for hurtin' the woman I love." He grated, scowling at the newly-polished katana she had in her lap.

She blushed slightly at his open declaration, looking at the blue fabric on the hilt. "Souji," she mumbled shyly.

Her brother lifted a brow before he smirked softly. "I contemplated that too, that night. Either way, according to Ibuki's sulking form, Shimabara doesn't take too kindly to us now because of what went down in Osaka." He mused, scowling slightly.

She lowered her gaze at the mention of the boy, sighing. "I would imagine, given how fast gossip travels nowadays." She mused, sheathing the katana in her black scabbard.

Both men looked at the quieted woman with slight concern.

* * *

'_Okita-kun, please search Kawaramachi, and take Yasakawa-kun with you_.'

'_Neh, Sannan-san, isn't the Choshu Domain in Kawaramachi? That's a bit dangerous, isn't it?_'

'_That is the very reason I'm sending Yasakawa-kun with you, Okita-kun. __**Because**__ it's dangerous. Besides, two sets of eyes are better than one, and the same goes for two blades_.'

_He does have a point, but still..._ he mused, looking at his partner. "You're up to this." He didn't ask.

She nodded and smiled at him. "It was just one hit, it's not like I broke a rib. Besides, you're going to need help even though you don't say it." She added, elbowing him gently.

He sighed and nodded, slinging his arm around her shoulders affectionately. "You're one hell of a woman, y'know that?" He mused.

"So I've been told." She chuckled, smiling again.

He briefly glanced back to see a familiar head of blue walking to sidle up to his right side. "Need something?" He wondered, continuing to walk with his lover in tow.

"I'm going; he's in Shimabara, right?" The bluenette guessed.

He scoffed. "Deadweight; you'll only get in our way if one of us hasta protect you while fighting the Rasetsu." He rebutted.

"I don't plan on askin' for your help, I'm going for my own reasons. If you think I'm in your way, then cut me down." He fired back, his tone dismissing the conversation.

He glanced at him. "Hmm," he muttered.

She smiled wryly. "Neh, Ibuki-kun, you've finally grown a backbone, I'm so proud I could cry." She teased.

He smiled back. "Save it for after we get rid of the Rasetsu," he remarked, hearing her giggle.

::::::x|x::::::

"You're over there, neh; ya smell just like the last Rasetsu that fled from our headquarters!" He called to the growling figure at the far end of the alley.

She smirked softly and shook her head, drawing her katana and holding onto the hilt. "You really are too cocky." She sighed.

He smirked and followed suit, the katana leaving the scabbard quietly. "Shut up, ya still love me for it." He flew forward, the Rasetsu named Saiki blocking his strike on instinct before knocking him back.

"Blood; give me blood!" He snarled out from the blood-stained maw of his.

She leaped past him, her katana's blade swiping at his unused arm and severing it. "Fine, but it's your damn funeral." She growled, flicking her wrist and shedding the blood from her blade as he howled in pain, retreating to her companion's side.

"Kawa, go for the head, I've got his heart." He ordered, perking her ears.

She nodded. "_Hai!_" She flew forward as he fell in step after her.

Both of them perked up as Saiki leaped into the air to hit them from above, skidding to a halt.  
"Shit!" He growled.

"Look out!" A jar was thrown at the lunging Rasetsu, slightly surprising them both, as the creature dropped near where the jar had been thrown; he rounded his gleaming red eyes on a slightly spooked Ibuki.

"Now!" Souji flew at him.

"Ibuki-kun!" Kawa bolted at his heels, watching him ram the katana's blade through his heart as she hopped up to deliver the killing blow, severing the head at the base sharply and neatly.

The Rasetsu's beheaded corpse fell when he yanked his blade free; she landed nimbly, flicking her wrist again and sheathing her katana as he also did the same.

"Souji!" The voice of Shinpachi sounded as they heard the rest of the men coming forward.

He looked at her and smirked at seeing a small splotch of blood on her mended cheek, lifting a hand to wipe it off with his thumb. "I had a feeling you'd look beautiful even covered in blood." He mused softly.

She blushed and smiled humbly, kissing his cheek. "I told you you'd need help." She crooned.

Souji chuckled and tousled her hair, slinging his arm around her waist on reflex as the others appeared and looked at the slain Saiki.

"Ibuki-kun, thank you for distracting him." Kawa declared, smiling warmly at the bluenette and dipping her head in a slight bow.

Ibuki's cheeks colored pink as Souji sent him a death glare, laughing weakly. "It's no trouble, really! T-Ta be honest, I owe it to you for taking that hit back in Osaka." He admitted, perking her ears.

She blinked before laughing softly. "It gets pretty boring when ya see that man always beating on just one person." She shrugged, feeling her lover's arm tighten around her waist on reflex.

"Regardless, you both did well." Toshi declared, perking her ears.

Kawa smiled sheepishly. "Wasn't much trouble, really, nii-san." She mused.

Souji rolled his eyes and squeezed her waist. "Just accept the compliment that we work good as a team," he grated.

She blushed and then huffed, elbowing his ribs. "Shouldn't I be telling that to **you**?" She teased.

Her brother sweatdropped and shook his head knowingly. "Both of you can go rest up back home." He advised calmly.  
"No need to tell me twice; c'mon, she-wolf." He sighed, dragging her after his lead away from the scene by the hand.

She blinked and then smiled, looking over her shoulder at her brother and smiling again before following.

:::::::x|x:::::::

She smiled slightly when he offered the cleaning liquid, lifting her katana up by the hilt so the clear fluid washed down the length of her blade. "So you want Souji to be the Roshigumi's blade, then." She guessed as she wiped the katana's blade with her spare handkerchief.

"Given that a blade needs a scabbard, it would only seem fitting for you to be the scabbard, Yasakawa-kun." He nodded, smiling slightly.

She blinked and tilted her head to one side curiously, sheathing her katana. "You want me to be his partner." She didn't ask.

He nodded again. "It seems right that that be your role. Aside from the knowledge that you two are together." He replied.

He pouted slightly as he also sheathed his katana, crossing his arms. "That's it, remind me to maim Hijikata-san next time I see 'im, spilling the beans…" He grated.

She rolled her eyes patiently, punching his shoulder in scolding. "Be nice, will ya?" She chided.

Sannan-san smiled patiently at the couple.

* * *

"Man, I missed the best part!" Heisuke grated.

A sweatdrop formed on her brow. "When the ground trembled? Honestly, I don't see what men find so friggin' interesting in two blubbery buggers body-slamming each other into the dirt. It's so trivial." Kawa ground out, a pout on her full lips.

"It's sports, babe." Souji sighed patiently, earning a scowl from his lover.

::::::x|x::::::

Kawa frowned slightly at the noise that had resounded in her ears.  
Cannons. But who was attacking at this hour?

"You're all here; this is a surprise." That man mused as he sat down near the door, stirring her attention away.

Toshi scoffed, "Of course we are. We heard that outrageously loud noise." He remarked calmly.

"The roar of artillery seems to have come from the Imperial Palace." Sannan-san added.

"Shouldn't we be heading over there?" Shinpachi wondered.

A flow of murmuring rose up amongst most of the men as they seemed to debate over whether his question was a wise suggestion or a foolish one.

"No, Aizu hasn't given us orders to mobilize yet; we should avoid acting on our own." It was Sannan-san that spoke again.

Toshi piped up, "Yamazaki and Shimada have already left to investigate. We're on standby until we receive their reports."

_Well that's great, then I shoulda gone back to sleep_, she deadpanned, making a mental note to lecture her brother on the fine art of beauty sleep at a less-time-pressurized moment.

::::::x|x::::::

_'Shinsengumi', huh?_ She sipped aimlessly at her sake.

The name certainly was different, she'd admit that; but a part of her liked it… Especially since it was a place reserved for only those who excelled in military arts.

_Have I really come this far?_ She wondered, looking down at the clear alcohol in her cup.

A long arm draped across her shoulders and pulled her into a kiss to the forehead, stirring her from her thoughts.

"Quit frownin', it doesn't suit you." He purred, smiling down at her.  
She blushed softly and then caved, smiling back and kissing him, feeling his arm around her squeeze on reflex.

'_Given that a blade needs a scabbard, it would only seem fitting that you be the scabbard, Yasakawa-kun_.'

She smiled into the kiss, stroking his cheek. _If that's the case, then I'll definitely be the scabbard, if not for my brother and Kondou-san and the others, then for you, Souji_, she inwardly vowed.

* * *

**review please; thanks~ ;'D **


	11. Chapter 11

_Hakuouki in its entirety belongs to IDEA Factory; Kawa belongs to me._

* * *

"I suspected he'd pull something of this caliber sooner or later, but to think he ran off with the Ochimizu…" The furrow in his brow matched her own.

She shrugged her katana against her right shoulder absently. "So what do we do now, nii-san?"

"Don't we need to hurry and find out where he went?" He chimed.

"Given the weight of the situation, I'd love to send all of the men out to look for Niimi-san… but, since the Ochimizu is involved, we can only send out those of us that know of the medicine." He informed grimly.

"That's true; the one upside to this is that he didn't take with him the men he turned into Rasetsu and experimented on." He added.

He opened a gold eye, "which means that if Niimi-san doesn't continue with his experiments, we won't hear of any trouble from him in the near future, right?"

"But wouldn't that man do whatever it takes to sell the Ochimizu?" He wondered of his fellow captain.

"There's also that issue, too; God knows who in hell he'd sell that medicine to, although as grim as this is, my money would be on the Choshu dogs." She chimed bitterly, her lip curling at the thought of more Rasetsu.

The room fell silent for a moment before he spoke up, "regardless, looking for Niimi-san is our top priority right now. Keep your eyes sharp while you conduct your patrols." He finalized.

Everyone in the room nodded. "**Sir**!"

:::::::x|x:::::::

"How's it look?"

"It was just one jab to the heart; must've been a fatal blow."

She gently pushed past another man, peering over his head at the felled corpse the two men were inspecting: her eyes sharpened in recognition.

Even as the men finalized the realization that the man was confirmed dead, she knew that there was no mistaking the unnaturally-colored white hair that the corpse had; she retreated to the top of the ravine, taking the offered hand of her lover and helping herself up to his side.

"Were we right?" He wondered once she was back at his side again, looking at her gray eyes.

She nodded. "Yeah, dead on. Literally." She replied, meeting his green eyes.

"Come on, we should report this to Hijikata-san." The second man present mused quietly, looking at the two of them.  
Both of them nodded. "Right."

:::::::x|x::::::::

"Are you sure he was a Rasetsu?" Toshi asked.

"Hai, we believe the experiment failed and he couldn't control it, so he killed the man." Saitou informed.

"What should we do, Hijikata-san?" Souji wondered.

"_Fukuchou!_" The quartet perked up at the voice.

At his beckon, Yamazaki appeared at the door. "The inspectors in town just informed me that they saw a man who they think was Niimi refer to himself as Tanaka Iori enter a high-end restaurant called Yamao in Gion-Shinchi."

He looked at the trio. "Saitou, Souji, Kawa, are you up for this?"

The trio nodded.

"_Hai_."

"Of course."

"What're we waiting for?"

"If we apprehend him inside, we won't need a large group, so it'll just be the five of us." Toshi stated.

Kawa nodded. "Right."

"I understand." Saitou chimed.

"Let's get it overwith; c'mon, princess." Souji mused, nimbly hopping to his feet and helping the younger Hijikata up by the hand.

::::::x|x::::::

It was nightfall by the time the group made it to the front of the restaurant Yamao.

"Yamazaki, cover the back exit." He ordered, to which the inspector nodded and hurried to take his position. "Let's go." He nodded to the trio at his back before they rushed inside.

She sweatdropped on habit when he grabbed the host by the scruff and demanded to know where he'd housed Tanaka Iori. _Geez, nii-san_…  
"_Fukuchou_, let's go," he advised.

"This'll take forever," he grated, dragging her after his lead by the hand into the further recesses of the restaurant; she yelped slightly before hurrying at his heels.

He dropped her hand to throw open a pair of doors to one room; she hurried past him to follow suit, the process continuing until they reached a particular room that the lights had been doused so it was dark when the quartet threw open the doors.

_Bingo_.

"H-Hijikata!" Niimi stammered in surprise, blanching.

"So you **were** here!" Souji mused.

"What're you doing in a place like this, Niimi-san?" Toshi demanded coldly.

"W-why're you here!? You realize if anything happens to me, S-Serizawa-sensei will let you have it!" He stuttered, recoiling to the farthest wall of the room away from the quartet.

Kawa snorted.

"'_Serizawa-sensei' will?_" Toshi drawled with a dangerous look in his eyes.

"Did Serizawa-san order you to give that medicine to national loyalists?" Souji sneered.

One of the two ronin the terrified Niimi had been negotiating with leaped to his feet in outrage, "who're these brutes!?"  
"The Shinsengumi," Niimi spat.

The second ronin hopped up in likewise anger, "Mibu Wolves!?" He prepared to draw his katana.

Moving faster than the unfortunate ronin, Souji's katana stabbed into his throat, twisting in the wound. "Really, now, there was no need to rush to your death." He yanked the blade out swiftly, effectively dropping the dead ronin.

"Bastard!" The second ronin snarled, swinging his katana high.

A loud '_klang_' resounded, surprising him; a snide smirk formed on her full lips as her katana's hilt blocked his oncoming swing. "Bastard roshin never learn... no matter how many times they bleed." Her concealed knife ripped his throat open, blood flying.

The ronin sputtered and fell back as she yanked the blade out swiftly and lowered her hilt-wielding hand, wiping some of the blood from her face absently with the side of her left wrist.

"Y-you're a bunch of damned fools that don't understand the political situation at hand!" Niimi cried, looking from one sword-wielder to the other with wide beady eyes, shrinking within himself as Toshi moved closer to him, the dangerous look in his eyes still in place. "You won't get off lightly if you try to hurt me!"

"Is **that** all you have to say?" Toshi ground out.

In a split second time froze as they watched him down the red liquid inside one of the vials.

"_Fuck_!" Souji and Kawa hissed as Toshi drew his sword, Saitou and Souji following suit quickly as Niimi cackled and his countenance changed, hair turning snow white and eyes bleeding red; he caught the oncoming swing from the older Hijikata sibling swiftly, knocking him back before swinging at him.

Saitou flew at him with a flurry of swipes, said blows missing as he dodged them with ease before one seemed to catch him between the eyes; his form disappeared.

"Hajime-kun, up!" Souji barked alertly before the aforementioned captain dodging the would-be body slam from above in time; he flew at him before being yanked down when he grabbed his forearm and threw him to the floor.

Niimi raised his short sword high.

"**Get away from him**!" Kawa snarled, her feet ramming into his chest and sending him flying back as she stood protectively infront of Souji, katana bared and held tightly in her left hand as he didn't hesitate to scramble to his feet behind her.

"You're slow, too slow! Your movements are like that of a child." Niimi cackled as he reappeared behind her; she twisted about on her heel as Toshi defended her, matching glares on the Hijikata siblings' faces.

"So you managed to maintain your sanity even after turning." Toshi growled.

"Don't you remember what I said; 'you won't get off easy if you try to hurt me.'" He drawled.

Kawa smirked again, the dangerous look in her brother's face shifting to her pretty face. "Don't count your chickens, ass-kisser." She sneered.

"This's pissin' me off; it's as if he's got the upper hand even though there's four of us. This is so not funny," Souji grated behind her.

"This is the power of a Rasetsu: the new era will be handed over to whoever possesses this medicine, Choshu, Satsuma, even Tosa… everyone desperately wanted it!" Niimi prattled.

"Then who'd you sell it to?" Toshi snapped.

Niimi turned a red eye to the two dead ronin. "Those two men had a rather tasty proposition, but you and your bitch made that a thing of the past!"

Toshi placed a hand on her shoulder as he and Souji shared a curt nod before the trio of men flew at Niimi simultaneously.

Saitou was knocked back into a collapsible wall when Niimi's fist plowed into his cheek; Toshi and Souji flew back, crashing into the wall behind her when his left foot shot out and hit Toshi's gut first, both men crumpling to the floor.

"Brother, Souji, Saitou-kun!" she barked, crouching next to her brother's side in concern.

Niimi sneered. "You're no match for me! Besides, your pack is down for the count: what will you do now, you damn she-wolf?" He demanded of the younger Hijikata.

Her gray eyes turned steely as she looked up at him; she huffed softly and straightened to her feet, her katana gripped tightly in her left hand as it hung at her side, her right foot sliding behind her by an inch or so. "Traitorous dogs like you don't deserve to live." She spat at his face, lunging at him.

His short sword blocked her oncoming strike with ease as he kneed her in the gut, knocking her back before she dug her heels into the floor and adjusted herself, his sneering chortle starting to get on her nerves.

She growled and pulled her knife into her right hand's fist, leaping at him with renewed vigor and sending her left foot into his neck, catching on him as her right fist sailed into his throat before he slapped her fist away so the knife's edge grazed his skin, his right fist crashing into her jaw and sending her flying.

Blood smudged her lower lip as she spat out a wad of crimson, panting softly as he cackled. "What in hell made you think you could defeat me when your brother was useless!?" He sneered.

"You will not…" She grunted softly as she gingerly got to her feet, moonlight glinting off the katana's blade held tight in her hand. "Ever say shit about my brother in my presence!" She hurtled forward, right fist uppercutting into his chin and twisting his neck up as she severed his sword-wielding hand from the top of his arm.

Crimson flew into the air from the open wound as she stumbled back, his agonized cries resounding loudly in the dark room; she huffed, panting as she prepared herself for the killing blow.

"You stupid **bitch**!" Niimi flew at her in a rage, disappearing from sight and briefly surprising her.

A battle cry sounded as blood flew.  
Toshi glared at his skewered body on the end of his katana's blade, violet eyes hard.

Kawa looked at him in surprise, gray eyes widened a little. "Toshi," she murmured.

He yanked the blade out swiftly from skewering his heart, dropping the dead Rasetsu to the floor, crimson staining his face and front of his purple _haori_ as he panted.

She smiled slightly, flicking her wrist and sheathing her katana as she helped Souji to his feet.

Souji grunted slightly when she helped him up, looking at the smudge of blood on her chin and sighed quietly, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Ya really are one hell of a woman." He praised quietly.

Kawa blushed slightly and smiled again, holding onto him as he squeezed her waist.

"'She-Wolf of Mibu' indeed." Saitou mused as he had also gotten up, rubbing his jaw gingerly as he looked at the couple.

Her cheeks warmed slightly and she smiled shyly, glancing at her brother as he went to fetch Yamazaki. "I had help." She shrugged innocently.

* * *

A pout crossed his face. "I said I was fine."

She rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time, wrapping the strip of bandage around his ribs a few times before tying it, straightening to stare at him with her hands on her hips. "Don't be so stubborn, okay? You should be thanking me for mending your ribs." She scolded.

After returning home, seeing as she didn't get the brunt of so many attacks as the trio of men did, Kawa bandaged Toshi's slightly cracked ribs, helped Saitou nurse his cracked jaw, and now had finished bandaging Souji's cracked ribs and sprained arm.

Souji scowled up at her, his eye twitching. "Geez, you can be a real strict nurse, y'know that?" He grated, lifting his good arm to scritch the back of his head.

Kawa huffed. "Y'should know by now that I ain't going anywhere anytime soon so get used to it, Okita Souji." She stated calmly, turning to put away the first-aid equipment. "You're staying in my room tonight, too; I'm not going to let you walk around this late." She added.

He pouted again at her stubborn streak, exhaling as he looked away and inwardly cursed her tenacity, stealing a look over at her curved hips; a fond smile formed and made his lips twitch upward.

She nearly jumped when he slung his arms around her waist from behind, straightening and feeling his arms squeeze gently. "S-Souji," she blushed, looking up at him.

Souji kissed her hard, feeling her arms lift to bunch in his shaggy hair, smirking widely against her lips. "Frownin' never suited you, babe." He purred, kissing her harder as her fingers tugged on locks of his hair.

Kawa blushed more before succumbing to his cheating lips, moaning softly. _Damn him_, she thought.

* * *

**review please; thanks~ ;'D**


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